Truth: Sequel to Trust
by Okami-Raen
Summary: SEQUEL to the fic "Truth". Orihime has been captured by Aizen, leaving Ichigo and the others to save her. But, Hara and Grimmjow and the others are dragged back to the seritei! Will Orihime be rescued? And by who? GrimmxOC HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
1. Chapter 1: From Fire to Pan

Alright, so I think you guys have waited long enough, ne?

So ya know, I decided to change the POV's from third person, to first person... I thought it might be fun to do it.

Alright well, XD I hope you like it!

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***~TRUTH*~**

**SEQUEL TO TRUST**

**Chapter 1**

***Raeyah's POV***

I knew she was glaring daggers at me as we went through the Senkaimon tunnel, and I couldn't blame her.

In front the two captains led the way, their backs tense. With them were the shinigami from that apartment building, including the cute red head with tattoos... Rave and Cy followed close behind, watching the girl and her arrancar companion closely in case they decided to break free.

I let out a silent growl, putting a hand through my hair; even though things were going somewhat as planned, it was going to be a hassle.

And that Captain, the one with the cold expression, _an aristocrat no doubt,_ had glanced at me in an I-don't-like-let-alone-trust-you look.

The other one, with spiky hair and a tough aura looked me over but didn't seem to care too much. His eyes lingered on Hara much longer, and I could guess that she must have been part of his squad at some point.

I could see light up ahead, meaning that we were almost through. From here on, things were going to be tense.

"Cy, Rave, don't let your guard down." I growled in English; I knew both captains in front of me only knew Japanese, so this meant I had quite an advantage. Behind me Hara stirred slightly, the handcuffs clinking together.

"Raeyah," she grumbled in English, "Just what in the hell are you planning?" Ah, so she had caught on.

"Don't worry," I replied quietly, slowing my step so she could hear me, "I won't let them try anything; you are in my custody after all." I laughed; "They may not care for foreign S.S's much, but they won't break rules…"

"That didn't answer my question," she replied in a pouty growl. I grinned; I was starting to like this girl.

I glanced back at her; her companion, Grimmjow was staring at me and then at her as he tried to understand what we were saying.

"Oi, I can't say too much here." I said with a shrug, "Just trust me and I'll tell ya everything later. Now stop askin' questions… that icy captain up there is going to get more suspicious." I turned around just as we entered the S.S.

Hara let out a growl of frustration and Cyan laughed, dragging her forwards teasingly.

I sweat dropped; my little brother was going to get it from Grimmjow if he didn't watch it, which was demonstrated when I heard the chains clink together and Cyan laugh more, but this time with nervousness.

Before I could reprimand my brother, I froze and put a hand on my zanpakuto, my eyes shifting around warily as I took in my surroundings.

"Ah, this is friendly," I said in Japanese, my grip tightening.

We were standing out front of a large gate, with what I'd guess to be the high ranking shinigami and their lieutenants surrounding us.

Cyan let out a whistle, before ruffling his hair. He wasn't at all shocked at our…greeting to say the least. Raven on the other hand was standing stiffly, his zanpakuto half drawn and his eyes narrowed.

We both sweat dropped when Cyan grinned lopsidedly and winked at a lieutenant wearing glasses and a stern expression.

"So you have come," said a voice from my left. The group of shinigami split and backed away as Yamamoto came forwards, his staff clicking on the stones as he walked.

I released the grip on my blade and stood tall, my eyes on the old General.

"Yes," I replied, sliding my hand into my pocket; around me the shinigami all moved, as if I were pulling out a bomb or something. I raised an eyebrow and held up the disk in the light, so all could see. The group relaxed and I grinned, before holding it out to Yamamoto.

A white haired, golden-eyed man took in from me and carefully placed it in his haori, before he nervously said, "Other than Erantine-sama, you must remove your zanpakuto and place them with me." he held out his hands.

I glanced back at my 'group', giving them a sharp glance each. Raven obediently withdrew his zanpakuto-sheath and all-and handed it to the lieutenant. Cyan growled but did the same, shoving his hands in his pockets afterwards.

I watched Hara remove her blade and hand it to the shinigami without a word, before she turned to stare at Grimmjow who had a slight snarl on his face. The air went even heavier with tension as the arrancar hesitated, his eyes full of anger.

Hara made a subtle gesture, and Grimmjow quickly drew his zanpakuto, causing everyone around them to flinch, including the golden-eyed lieutenant, before he handed it in, a slight smile on his face as he realized just how afraid they were of him.

"This way," growled Yamamoto before turning and walking away. I gestured at Cyan and Raven to follow, and they did quickly, dragging Hara and Grimmjow all the while.

***Hara's POV

My shoulder bumped against Grimmjow's arm as I walked beside him, my body tense and shaking slightly.

It had been years since I had set foot on Seritei soil, and as I looked around, it was nostalgic and unnerving…mostly due to the huge group around us.

Renji, Rukia, Yumichika and Ikkaku had disappeared along with Zaraki-taicho and Byakuya, leaving Grimm and I to fend for ourselves.

Unlike me, Grimmjow was just on edge, though I could tell he enjoyed the fear he evoked among the ranks as we walked by (he would glare at the weaker looking shinigami which made them step back further.)

I mentally shook my head at him, fighting the urge to smile. Instead, I turned my attention to those around me, spotting out a few familiar faces. Those who recognized me gaped in surprise, while others nodded their heads at me.

"Ah, there's a lot of cute girls!" whispered Raeyah's brother, Cyan, as he inclined his head towards me. I rolled my eyes at him, and he grinned.

"Is that all you think of, Cyan?" whispered Raven as he stared at his companion.

"Che, is that bad? Come on Raven, don't you think they're cute?"

"What are they saying?" hissed Grimmjow, leaning towards me.

"Nothing important," I replied, "This one here," I tilted my head towards Cyan, "Thinks he's a real Casanova..."

"What?"

I licked my lips, "Uh Casanova was-" The words died on my lips as the doors in front of us opened and we walked into the captains meeting room.

_Great…_ I thought, peering around Raeyah. All the captains stood lined against the walls, their eyes on us.

"Holy…" growled Cyan, his hand going for his zanpakuto before he realized it wasn't there. Yamamoto walked to the chair at the head of the room and sat down, his hands resting on top of his staff. His lieutenant went to a far wall and put in the mysterious disk in a slot that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

A buzzing sound filled the room, much like the sound of a badly tuned television. I put my hands to my ears as did Grimmjow as it got louder. My teeth and bones were vibrating from the noise, and around me I could see that captains fighting the urge to cover their ears too.

Suddenly in front of us, there was a flickering light, followed by faint popping and hissing sounds. Instinctively I moved just the slightest bit behind Grimmjow, feeling very vulnerable.

"Ah are we connected?" rang a distant voice in English from between pops.

"Not yet, hold on!" yelled another voice, before banging was heard.

I exchanged a glance with Grimmjow, _just what the hell is going on?_!

Raeyah let out a chuckle, as did Cyan as they stared at the middle of the floor.

"Ah, boss I think I…" POP! The hissing and vibrating stopped as a bright light in the shape of a rectangle appeared hovering above the floor.

"What-?" I began, but stopped as the light flickered and became a see through image.

A man with long flax colored hair slicked back into a loose ponytail stared down at us through the image, his lavender eyes friendly. He looked young, probably in his thirties or so. Behind him was a wild looking woman with dark skin and a few piercings; in her hand was a wrench which was strangely bent and smoking.

"Ah, General Commander Yamamoto, it's been a while," said the man pleasantly in smooth Japanese, flashing a toothy grin.

"Valcon-sama," replied Yamamoto, nodding his head politely, though his voice was filled with dislike.

"N-no way!" I whispered to Grimmjow, "This is the General Commander?" He glanced at me but didn't answer.

Valcon's eyes moved around the room, before he spotted Raeyah.

"Ah, I see you three made it. No problems, right?"

Raeyah stepped forwards, "Well…" she said, "One of the-" before she could continue, Yamamoto silenced her and stared up at the hologram of Valcon.

"What is happening at the moment has nothing to do with your people. I have allowed your three officers to visit, but I request you remove them immediately and refrain from interfering with our affairs."

Cyan started forwards from beside me, his teeth bared slightly; Raven stepped forwards as well, his eyes flashing. Raeyah's back was tense, and around me I could feel the captains shifting or tensing as well.

Valcon seemed unfazed as he smiled, "Ah, so you are still holding a grudge against me?" His voice was calm and relaxed, as if this was no big deal. A sound in the background on his side made the woman behind him flinch before she ran off; Valcon stared after her with concern, before turning to stare at Commander General.

Yamamoto didn't answer.

Valcon let out a sigh, "This is no time for old grievances… I'm going to just cut to the chase now." The hologram shook violently, and Valcon glanced around his side, "As you can see, things are not going well here. Your Aizen is sending more and more arrancar daily… We can hold out, but if these forces are enough to challenge and destroy the other Seriteis, you might not be spared without heavy losses. What I would s-"

"Boss!" cried a voice as the woman with piercing reappeared, blood splattered across her face and clothing, "The second wave is coming, we must-!"

Valcon put up his hand and turned to Yamamoto, "What I would suggest is an alliance. You say for us not to interfere with you… but how can we not when our own very existence is threatened due to one of your own?" The hologram flickered and the image dimmed; Valcon grimaced, "We haven't much time. My people are retreating to a strong hold a distance away from here. When we are situated, I will arrange for another meeting between us…hopefully by tomorrow morning. Please consider an alliance; I would rather not-" The hologram went hazy and then disappeared as the connection was lost.

"Commander Valcon!" cried Cyan, running forwards. Raeyah put out her arm and blocked him; she let out a sigh, before grinning at him.

"Don't worry," she said, "Our people are strong. They will not fall so easily." Cyan relaxed and Raeyah put a hand on his head, her gaze turning to Yamamoto, "Now then," she said, "What is it you would do with the lot of us?"

Yamamoto stared at us from his lofty chair, his eyes closed in a stern thoughtful manner. The captains all stared at us, waiting for an answer.

"Until I am in communication with Commander Valcon, I will not take any drastic measures…yet" He turned to Grimmjow and I; Raeyah, Cyan and Raven moved to our sides so he could look clearly at us. "Now, as for the two of you…"

Grimmjow scowled and I gulped, the two of us standing in the center of the room.

"The two of you will be interrogated for information about Aizen and Las Noches." Declared Yamamoto, "But because there is no proof of your allegiance to us, you will be detained in the squad 12 quarters until further notice."

I opened my mouth, but I was interrupted.

"Commander-" began Raeyah, but he stomped his staff to silence her.

"These two may be in your custody, Erantine Raeyah, but you are not General Commander. They are to be detained and fully interrogated before I let them go free." Yamamoto got to his feet, "Be forewarned, they are still under your custody, and therefore your responsibility. You will be held accountable for their actions."

Raeyah nodded her head, "I understand."

I let out a hiss of anger, my body tingling. _Oh, so we get no say?! _I glanced at Grimm who had a similar expression.

"From here on," continued Yamamoto, "Kurotsuchi-taicho will take these two. You three on the other hand, are welcome as guests." His voice was anything but friendly, "Now, you are all dismissed!"

Most of the captains trailed out, except for Kurotsuchi, Shunsui, and Ukitake.

I went up to Raeyah, "_Trust you,_ you said!" I hissed.

"What the hell kind of mess are you getting us into, eh woman?" snarled Grimmjow, standing over her.

"Sorry," she replied, smiling nervously, "It can't be helped at the moment…"

"Can't be-!" he began, but stopped when Kurotsuchi walked up. I shuddered as I stared at the oddly dressed scientist.

"Ah, I have always wanted to study an arrancar. What a fine specimen you will make…" In his hands were the chains that were connected to our handcuffs. "Come," he commanded as if we were dogs, before turning on his heel.

I gritted my teeth and thought about it, glancing at Grimmjow who looked ready to punch the guy.

Raeyah coughed quietly, and I glanced at her. She shook her head no, ever so slightly. I nodded and turned to Grimm, shaking my head. He let out a sigh of frustration, and took a step forwards. Glaring at Raeyah for putting us in such a predicament, I turned and followed Kurotsuchi, walking close besides Grimm.

"Don't worry, you can get him later if he does anything," I growled quietly. Grimmjow nodded; an angry grimace on his face. "Damn," I added, "It seems were out of the fire and into the frying pan."


	2. Chapter 2: Discussions

Gomen-nasai!!! TT______TT I wanted to get this out a LONG time ago, but all hells broken lose at home, I've been grounded from the internet (still am mind you), and finals are like barely two weeks away! So yeah...I'm pretty busy. Anyway, here's the next chap that you've all been waiting for ^^

O.o on a side note I've realized that I seem to have each chapter (I have a few more chaps already prepared) in only one persons POV now. So that means it wont jump around as badly as I usually make it. XD alright read on!

Grinja: Oh definately lol. Poor Mayuri is all I can say.

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: Ah, thanks^^ And ur the second to hope for that lol

cheeky half-demon: viola! new update (very prolonged, but still...) lol

Tenshi No Ashi: Don't we all? Lolz

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***Chapter 2

*Grimmjow's POV*

_Great._

_Just f-ing great._

It was a lucky thing that the woman, Raeyah, hadn't gone with us; I was ready to knock some sense into that shinigami head of hers. I mean, the woman got me and Hara locked up in f-ing soul society!

And now it looked like some prick with weird clown makeup was going to "interrogate" us.

I let out an angry chuckle as I followed the shinigami, _if he even looks at Hara wrong, I'll… _Before I could finish my thoughts, we stopped.

In front of us was a large building with whitewashed walls and the number twelve over the door. A girl came out of the door and walked up to the shinigami; she was a shinigami too, as I saw when she came closer.

"Ah you are back, Mayuri-sama." She said, in a sort of monotone.

"Of course I am, no need to state the obvious, Nemu!" he snapped. The woman didn't even flinch as he continued to yell at her, "Now make yourself useful for once and go prepare the cells for these two!"

"Hai." The woman turned and ran off, her expression never changing.

Hara and I exchanged glances, before the captain led us into the building.

Some dark haired guy with strange horn like things on his forehead choked on his tea as he looked up over a pile of papers as we walked in; Hara chuckled, obviously knowing him…I think.

"Akon, been a while," she grinned.

His mouth opened and shut a few times, as if he were a fish. Just when he seemed he had managed to speak, Kurotsuchi cut him off.

"Akon, replace their reishi cuffs with our new prototype ones." He ordered, before turning to glance at the both of us, "We don't want them thinking they can easily escape."

"H-hai!" he said, before running off. I glared at him, before I turned to Hara.

"Know him?" I asked, meaning the dark haired guy, Akon. Hara nodded and looked up at me.

"Yeah, he went to the academy with me," she chuckled, "I used to tease him a lot…"

I rolled my eyes; of course she did.

"Why? Jealous?" she snickered softly so no one else could hear.

"No," I chuckled, watching as the captain went up to a group of shinigami and began demanding a report. I felt her lean against me slightly, her body warm and soft.

"You know you're my one and only," she whispered softly. I grinned and stared down at her; wanting to kiss her, but before I could even think on it a little longer, the woman from earlier ran out of a tunnel and up to Mayuri.

"Mayuri-sama, the cells are ready." She said, bowing. He stared at her, his lip curling in annoyance.

"About time!" he turned, "Now where is Akon with those new handcuffs?!"

"Here, sir." He said as he appeared out of a different tunnel, panting and holding out thick metal bracelets.

Mayuri took them and spun around, a maniacal grin on his face that I'd love to wipe off. His eyes fell on Hara; I moved forwards, blocking her slightly with my arm.

"Ah, I guess I could try them on you first, Arrancar." He spat, his eyes glinting. I stared at him coldly; the teme was lucky I was feeling like following rules; otherwise, I'd have punched holes through him by now.

The only thing that kept me from doing what I wanted was the fact that if I started a fight, we'd both end up in worse trouble; well, I could handle that, but I didn't want Hara to have to.

Clenching my teeth, I put out my wrists, so to allow him to place the bands on me.

Kurotsuchi pulled one apart and put it tightly around my wrist, before closing it tightly. He did the same with the other, and then stood back and stared at them.

"Hm… I think that'll do." He turned to Hara, "You… I don't think I need to add any more… precautions…" Akon turned and ran off to get rid of the other set.

Hara stared up at Mayuri, her eyes narrowed. "Just what are those, might I ask? If I remember right, most of your inventions are not…pleasant."

The captain chuckled. "You'll see." He chuckled. "Be glad that you are not wearing them as well, Miss Ayumi… Though I should put them on you as well, seeing as I haven't forgotten the trouble you used to cause me all those years ago."

"Think about what _trouble_ I could cause you now," she growled. I couldn't help but grin, though I did wonder about these bands around my wrists… _if that bastard did anything sneaky…_ He was giving me plenty of reasons to smash in that clown face of his.

"Hn." He replied, before turning to the woman. "Take these two to the holdings and place them in their cells."

"Hai, Mayuri-sama." She replied, before grabbing the chain that linked Hara and I, and dragging us away.

As we walked, I bent down and whispered in Hara's ear. "What did he mean _trouble_?" She chuckled.

"When I was a kid I used to play tricks on him, like hiding all his inventions and putting odd things in his tea," she whispered back, giggling. I shook my head at her, grinning all the while.

"So you are the 'child terror' that Mayuri-sama often spoke of." Commented the woman, Nemu, as she stopped in a semi-dark room.

"You have no idea." said a voice from behind. It was the weirdo, Akon. He flipped on a light, "She wasn't just a terror for Kurotsuchi-taicho…"

Hara laughed again, but stopped when she saw the room. "Oh, great," she said.

I looked around; oh great was right. The room was huge and seemed to be made completely out of metal. On each wall were large cage like cells, with thick bars and little space in between.

Akon went and opened a door of a cell, his eyes on me.

"For me, eh?" I growled. _So they are going to separate us… _I walked into the cell, but paused as I stepped towards the dark haired man. I could already tell he was a bit afraid of me, which made me grin.

I glanced back at Hara, before stepping into the cell and turning around to face Akon. He gulped and quickly shut the door; as soon as it was closed, it disappeared seamlessly into the bars, making it seem like there was no escape.

Hara was led to a cell next to mine, and was quickly put inside it, her door disappearing too.

"Thanks," she growled sarcastically, glowering at Akon.

He laughed, "Sure," before he turned and left the room. Nemu bowed, and followed him, turning off the light as she went. A tad bit of sunlight forced its way through a distant window, giving us a little bit of light.

"Well this is just great," sighed Hara. I turned to see her curled up against the bars between us, her back against the wall.

I went and sat down beside her, letting out a sigh as well.

A few minutes went by before either of us spoke.

"We're going to have to get out of here, soon." She said quietly. I turned and stared at her.

Hara had her knees drawn to her chest, her arms crossed and her chin resting on top. Her eyes were distant and angry, her expression set.

I reached out and touched her shoulder, "Oi, don't worry, we'll get outta here." She turned to look at me, "And when we do, I'm going to show that clown-face who's a great specimen…"

Hara chuckled and clasped my hand in hers, before resting her cheek against it.

I was slightly uncomfortable, the bars of the cell were pressing against my shoulder, but I didn't move.

"Why…" she whispered, "Why do you think they took Hime-chan?" Hara gulped, "You don't think she's been…"

"Killed?" She winced slightly from my reply, and I wished I had said it a little gentler. With my other hand I scratched the top of my head, "Well, I don't think they did. Knowing Aizen-teme, if he wanted her dead, she would have already been killed; and there would have been a body."

My arm was starting to fall asleep, so I pulled back and shook it a few times, trying to get the feeling back.

"If she's not dead…than why…?" she asked, her fingers laced around the bars.

"To lure us into a trap, or…" I thought about it, "He wants her for something... Who knows…"

Hara let out a sigh and lay down on the floor, her chin resting on her hands. "Raeyah better have a plan…otherwise I'm willing to take off for Hueco Mundo myself."

"Of course I'm going with you," I corrected her. She glanced up at me, smiling that delicious little smile of hers.

"I know." She laughed.


	3. Chapter 3: Getting to Know You

O___O I keep forgetting to upload the new chaps! v.v gomen-ne... Well, I'll just have to post up 3, 4, 5, and 6 all tonight! :o yesh! lol

cheeky half-demon: oh you have no idea lol XD Hara was a child terror...

Haunting Shadow: Yeah I know... I have a habit of dragging things out...But I have good reason! I just can't say why...it's too big a spoiler... And Lolz, grimm'd blow up the place pronto if he could

Grinja: XD

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: ah thanks^^

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***Chapter 3

*Raeyah's POV*

"Do we have to be separated?" whined my little brother as he pouted.

"Tch, stop actin' your shoe size," I growled, ruffling his hair. Cyan pulled away, scowling, and I chuckled. I turned to Raven who was leaning against the wall. "Hey, where are they sending you?" I asked.

"Uh, squad…13." He replied. I nodded my head; Ol' Yamamoto decided he was going to separate us three and put us in different squads for the night, supposedly because there weren't many places for guests. Psh. Bull if you ask me; the real reason he did it was so me and my gang couldn't do anything suspicious.

I mentally shook my head; the old Commander sure was making things difficult. He wouldn't even let us go and see Hara and Grimmjow, meaning I couldn't give them any news or anything, meaning the two of them were more than likely to be ready to kill me next time they saw me.

"Are you ready?" asked a voice from the door. I turned to see the 6th division captain watching me. I was supposed to be staying the night at his squad, which I didn't mind so much, even if he didn't trust me. That would give me the change to become familiar with the red-head, Renji. I could probably get him to tell me about the girl, Orihime, and some stuff about the others… And then there was the fact that he was hot… _Damn it all!!! Get a hold of yourself idiot!!!!_

"Uh yeah," I replied, walking up to him. I took a look at Cyan and Raven, "Keep yourselves out of trouble, ya hear me?"

Cyan grinned and Raven nodded. I nodded at them in return, and then followed the quiet captain.

He was already walking away when I got outside. Growling to myself I jogged up to him, and slowed down my pace, my eyes sweeping the area.

"So…" I said, "I don't think I caught your name."

"Kuchiki, Byakuya." He replied, his eyes cold.

"Ah, then you're related to Rukia?" I asked. He nodded. That was about all I could get him to say, and already the conversation wasn't going well, so I gave up and just followed him.

At a large intersection he stopped, "I have some matters I must attend to. From here, Renji will accompany you to the squad."

"Hai!" Out of nowhere the redhead appeared; he must have been running fast, because he was panting.

Without another word Byakuya flash stepped away, leaving me and Renji standing there.

"Well," I commented, "He's a friendly one."

"That's just how Kuchiki-taicho is," he replied smiling. He gestured towards the left road, "Shall we?" I nodded and we began walking.

It was quiet as we walked, and he didn't say anything, though I could feel as if he wanted to strike up some sort of conversation.

If he wasn't going to start up conversation, I would (me being a friendly person and all).

I chuckled, "Ne… Hara's pretty pissed at me, ya know."

He nodded, grinning, "Yeah I know. You're going to have to give some explanation… Though I wouldn't mind one either..."

"Well," I replied, "Don't you think that they'd end up captured and dragged here sooner or later? And probably on worse terms?"

He shrugged, "I guess that's true. But still…"

"Eh, the way I figured it, if I were to put the both of them under my custody, they'd be slightly safer."

Renji tilted his head, "But wouldn't that make them suspect you more?" I shrugged.

"Eh, I don't care if they suspect me. And plus, I like those two… I'd help 'em out any way I could, ya know?"

As we turned a corner he stared at me strangely, and I stared right back.

"What?" I asked.

"You…you're weird ya know?" he said. Now it was my turn to stare at him weird. He laughed nervously, before scratching at the bandana around his forehead, "Ah, that didn't come out right…" I raised my eyebrow; _gah! He's too damn cute!_ "Uh, what I meant was… You don't really know Hara, yet you seem so ready to help her in whatever way you can… Why?"

"Well, as I said, I like her." I laughed. "If I was a captain here, I'd want her in my squad. She seems like a pretty good person to have around."

"Yeah…she is…" He chuckled, a sort of look in his eyes. I stopped; _ah… That look… _

"I see…" I muttered, grinning. I trotted up to him; he stared at me. "You…you like her alot, don't you?" I asked quietly, grinning.

Renji froze; his eyes slightly wide, before his face flushed slightly red.

I grinned wider. "Aha," I chuckled softly. Inwardly I winced; _damn, that means if he likes her…he won't be interested in anyone else…_ "I'm right, right?"

"N-no!" he stammered, "She's just a childhood friend of mine- Oi don't stare at me like that!" I was grinning, my hands on my hips and a look on my face that said I didn't believe him. After a minute he sighed, "That obvious, huh?" the way he said it was bitter, depressed. I read his expression, thought about it, and then tilted my head.

"Let me guess," I said, dropping my hands. "She turned you down?" He winced, but didn't deny it. I dropped my grin and took on a softer, more serious expression. "Tell me what happened…" His eyes shot to me, and I could see he was angry.

"Why am I talking to you about it?" he growled. Again I winced inwardly, but I made sure that he couldn't see my reaction.

_Poor guy,_ I thought. I felt bad for him; I had had my share of requited love

"Well," I replied, "For one, I'll hear you out. And two…" I smiled softly, "You can trust me, ya know. I could maybe even help somehow…"

He stared at me with surprise, and I resisted the temptation to reach out and pat his arm, or hug him. I watched as his expression turned from surprised to soft and relaxed.

"…thanks…"


	4. Chapter 4: The Pains of Inprisonment

Yeah so here's 4 XD

I don't have much ta say since I'm just throwing out chaps left and right, but lolz I rly love this song, "Samurai Mania" by Orange Range...XD

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***Chapter 4

***Hara's POV***

"Dinner," growled Akon, as he pushed a tray of food through a small opening that suddenly appeared between bars; the smell was intoxicating to me as I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and by the feel of it, it was now late evening.

I could hear Grimm starting to wake up; he had fallen asleep a few hours ago, while I didn't.

Since he fell asleep, I was trying to plan out what we were going to do. Somehow, Kami-willing we got the hell out of here; we'd head straight to Hueco Mundo to same Orihime. There was no way I'd leave her there to suffer a sad fate that Aizen would dish out to her. But, that would mean we'd have to fight our way in there, and fight our way back out. And that means…I'd have to face Zuro…

I shook my head as if to shred off the thoughts for the moment, and scooted over to Akon.

"Oi," I said, "What's with those spikes on your forehead?" When we were in the academy, he looked normal-as normal as he got anyway. (Author's Note: Akon was around during the "Turn Back the Pendulum Arc" when he was a kid. Because I didn't realize this until now and I don't want to change the story line too much, I'll just have it where Akon was working as a teacher's assistant at the academy.)

"Eh?" he stared at me, "Oh these?" he poked at the hornlike spikes. Grinning he said, "Cool, huh?"

I stuck my tongue out at him, "Weird."

Akon frowned at me, while I dragged the tray towards me and began examining it. There was some meat and vegetables over rice, as well as some water. "Man, I'm gone for a few years, and when I come back, everybody's accessorized themselves somehow." I laughed, "I mean look at Renji, he's all tattooed, and then you go and add... horns?"

"We'll we have to keep things interesting," he replied, smiling a bit.

"Oi, do I get food too or what?" growled Grimmjow as he came out of the shadows. Akon flinched and drew back, and I could hear the grin that flashed across Grimm's face.

"Uh I'll go get it," he muttered, running out of the room.

"Do you have to scare off everyone?" I asked, shaking my head at him.

"Do you have to flirt with every guy?" he countered.

I scowled. "Flirting? I wasn't flirting! Stop getting all jealous every time I talk to a guy!"

"Jealous?! I'm not jealous!" he cried.

"Sure…" I laughed, sliding towards him. He was frowning at me, his eyes glinting in the dark. I reached through the bars and touched his cheek, "Ne… why do you feel you have to get jealous? You know I only want you…"

He closed his eyes as I stroked his face, before he gently squeezed my hand in his. "I know," he purred softly, "But I can't help it…"

I laughed softly, "Baka," before I leaned in to kiss him. Behind me the door opened loudly, causing Grimmjow to turn his head and me to flinch.

"Ow!" Grimmjow and I cried in unison; my nose had connected with the hollow fragment on his cheek, hard.

I slid back to the wall holding my nose and letting out a growl of pain, my eyes watering.

"Crap that hurt. Are you okay?" he growled, rubbing the side of his face.

"You're saying that hurt _you_?!" I cried, as I felt blood run down my chin, "Grimm, I think you broke my nose!"

I heard him cuss, before Akon suddenly appeared.

"…Broke your nose? What happened Yume?" He flashed a kido light at me, and I could see blood all over my chest.

"Err… When you opened the door it made me jump and accidently hit the bar with my nose," I growled. Akon let out a sigh, before he opened the door and walked in.

"Let me see… I can probably fix it…" He came towards me and pulled my hands away from my nose. I whimpered and flinched; it really hurt!

Grimmjow shifted closer, scowling at Akon.

"Hold…still…" muttered Akon, reaching out. He carefully began to twist it back into shape, causing me to scream.

"Oi be careful!" snarled Grimmjow; of course, this made Akon jump, and my nose twisted further than it should, this time the other way.

"EEYYYAAAAHH YOU DUMBASS!" I shrieked, kicking Akon straight in the chest; I was calling them both dumbasses though. Akon flew out of the cell in surprise, landing on his butt, before he scrambled up.

"Crap! I'm sorry! Are you okay?!" he cried.

"Do I look okay?!" I yelled, glaring at him and then Grimmjow. Both of them came towards me, and I shrank away, growling. "Don't come near me! If you do I'll probably end up worse!"

I put both my hands around my nose, and squeezing my eyes shut, put it back in place myself. It hurt like hell, and I let out a howl of pain as I did.

Just as I opened my eyes to glare at them, the door was blasted open.

"What is with all this ruckus?!" shrieked Kurotsuchi, his yellow eyes flashing from Akon to the open cell door, to me.

"Uh… I…" stammered Akon, "She-Ayumi-san needs a medic, her nose is…broken."

The oddly adorned captain stomped towards him, his expression livid.

"And why is her nose broken? Are you deliberately trying to sabotage my specimens?! They must be in good shape for my experiments tomorrow!"

Akon bowed; his expression fearful. "I am truly sorry, Kurotsuchi-taicho!" he cried. "I will fix it immediate-!"

"No," snapped Mayuri, "Go back to your post. I will fix your mistake."

"H-hai!" cried Akon, before stumbling towards the door.

I rose to my feet as the 12 division captain came towards me; Grimmjow did the same, his eyes glinting dangerously.

Mayuri smiled; his teeth bright in the dark room. "Still causing me trouble, eh Ayumi?"

I glowered at him, my hands over my nose as I used kido to slowly heal the swelling. "Don't you know it."

He leaned in towards me, his hands curling around the bars. "I see your abilities have increased…" his eyes glinted, "It will be very _interesting_ to see just how much." Mayuri turned to look at Grimmjow, "And you… You will make a nice addition to my data collection…"

Grimmjow opened his mouth to say something; I had an inkling it would have some cussing directed at the clown faced bastard, but before he had uttered a single word, Mayuri pressed something on his wrist which buzzed with electricity.

Grimmjow screamed in pain and doubled over, the bands on his wrists glowing white hot.

"Grimmjow!" I cried, running over to him. He got to his feet shakily, his breath coming in pants.

"Bastar-"

Mayuri hit it again and Grimmjow sank to his knees, his teeth bared in pain. "I will not allow my specimens to talk back to me-"

He slid back, barely dodging the swipe I took at his face. I snarled and tried to reach him, before I kicked the bars in anger.

"What the hell did you do to him!?" I demanded, my eyes burning silver.

Mayuri pulled a small device out of his sleeve, holding it up so I could see. I tried to grab for it, but he pulled back with a malicious chuckle.

"Oh no Miss Ayumi, I wouldn't let you take away my fun yet." He grinned at the little metal box, before looking up. "This little goodie I made allows me to keep my specimens in check." He put in back in his sleeve before sighing. "Sadly the General Commander has made it where I cannot use it on shinigami… Otherwise you too would be wearing this." He went to Grimmjow's cell, a grin spreading ear from ear, "Pity you are not a shinigami, eh my arrancar friend?"

The sadistic captain went to the door. "I think that is enough treatment for tonight… Sleep well; tomorrow we shall begin examination." He laughed, shutting the door behind him.

When he was out of earshot, I let out a long string of cuss words in both Japanese and English, causing Grimmjow to stare at me in shock, before he chuckled slightly.

I sank down into a sitting position, letting out a mixture of a growl and a sigh. I turned to him, "You okay Grimm?" I asked.

He leaned against the bars, wincing slightly. "Don't worry about it." He growled. I watched as he rubbed at the bands on his wrists; the skin beneath was red and bleeding.

I slid my hands through the bars and gently tugged his arms towards me; he didn't resist. "Let me heal those…"I muttered. I concentrated on the wounds and began healing them slowly. The light from the kido illuminated the room, glinting off the metal bars and the bands around his wrists.

"Ne…" he said suddenly. "I just realized… How are you able to do this if you have those handcuffs on?" I didn't stop healing him, but my eyes did widen. The handcuffs were supposed to seal in all reitsu, meaning I shouldn't be able to use hado of any kind.

"Hmm… I don't know…" I laughed, "Maybe these handcuffs are faulty…" I pushed more of my energy into his wounds, watching with satisfaction as they healed. "Ah, all done." I started to pull back, but he caught my hands in his.

"Thanks," he purred. I nodded and pressed my forehead against the cool bars with a sigh, my body tired from using up energy to heal him. Grimm leaned in and rested his forehead against mine; I opened my eyes.

"Your nose okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I fixed it…" I scowled at him. "Not that you helped much." I growled.

He grinned slightly, and I grinned back. "Sorry." He laughed, kissing my forehead before he sat back and released my hands.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "It did hurt, you know." I growled. "Che, you always cause me trouble, don't you?" I added, laughing.

"Psh. Shut up, you cause plenty of trouble yourself!" he snarled.

I stuck my tongue out at him, before lying down against the bars, my hands behind my head. I heard him lay down with a sigh beside me.

"What do you think that prick has planned for us tomorrow?" he asked.

"Dunno." I replied, opening an eye. "Hopefully nothing too unpleasant…But then again, this is Kurotsuchi we're talking about."

"If he tries anything, I'm going to kill him," growled Grimm. I chuckled, before my expression darkened as I thought about those strange bands on his wrists.

"Not if I kill him first…" I muttered, before closing my eyes.


	5. Chapter 5: Tattoos and Glasses

XD

* * *

***Chapter 5***

***Renji's POV***

"Nice place ya got here," chuckled Raeyah as she watched me from the doorway as I attempted to make my room somewhat clean.

"Thanks," I growled as I shoved the junk I picked up into the closet. Running around all the time between here and the living world sure made things messy, though my room pretty much always stayed messy.

I turned around to see her lying on _my_ bed, watching me with that cocky expression of hers.

"Just make yourself at home," I half joked, pulling a chair upright and sitting on it.

"I will, thanks." She teased back, grinning more.

I scowled at her, _she's so damn frustrating!_ I thought, _and definitely not…_ _not Hara_. But was that a bad thing?

"So…you're here…why?" I asked, resting my head on my arms. I was tired, and wishing I could lie on the bed too. I really didn't know why she followed me to my room; I did show her to her room and all so…_what does she want?_

Raeyah shrugged, "Eh, I dunno. I'm not feeling too sleepy…And," she paused, her grin widening, "You seem like an interesting person so I'd thought I'd get to know you a bit more."

"That so?" I replied, reached up and tightening my ponytail. My eyes flickered to her face, "Well I'd have to say you are too." I laughed. "I mean, it's not every day that I meet a captain from another soul society."

Raeyah chuckled and rolled onto her back, her head hanging off the edge of my bed. I had to keep myself from staring at the tattoos and where they led, tempting as it was.

_I wonder if she has tattoos anywhere else-_ I stopped my thoughts by tugging hard at my hair which of course this caused the already half dead band to break.

"Damn it," I growled, as my hair fell into my face. I turned to my dresser to get another, but before I had even picked it up, I felt a hand run through my hair.

I spun around to see Raeyah standing behind me, a curious and dazed expression on her face.

"It's so soft…" she whispered, her fingers entwined around the ends of my hair.

I smiled, staring down at her.

_Wow,_ I thought as I examined her face, _she's only a few years older than Hara… _Her attitude made her seem older, kinda like Yoruichi or maybe even Kuukaku, but in reality she was pretty young. I was even older than her, I realized.

She seemed to realize I was staring at her, and shook herself of the daze, a grin flickering across her face as if to hide it. "You should wear it down, it's nice," she said, before sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest.

I grinned and sat back down in the chair, my hair still down. She was still staring at me, and I thought I caught a confused glint in her eye, but she quickly hid it when she blinked.

"Uh…" I began, closing my eyes and reaching up and removing my bandana "How long have you been a captain?"

"About two years now," she replied, causing me to freeze and open my eyes. Raeyah was inches away from my face, staring fixedly at me. "By the way…nice tats."

"Eh?" I gasped, heat rushing to my face from how close she was. No one had ever said that to me before, and if anything they teased me about them.

She reached out and traced the tattoo over my left eye, before pulling back suddenly, a tinge to her cheeks. "Sorry," she laughed nervously, "I have a habit of touching things when they catch my eye."

I chuckled and she turned red; Raeyah slapped her forehead, giggling nervously. "Ah, that didn't come out right… Um…"

_She's cute…_ I thought. I stood up and tugged at my haori until it came lose, exposing my chest. "So you like tattoos, huh?" I asked, grinning.

Raeyah stared at me, her face now as red as my hair. I grinned wider as her eyes traveled over me, before she nodded.

"Yeah, I do," she replied, "They're beautiful…" She came towards me and reached out to touch them, but paused as if she was unsure.

Without thinking I reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling it to my chest. When I realized what I did I froze for a moment and then let go.

"S-sorry," I stammered.

Raeyah stared at me in confusion, her hand still partly raised. She let it fall. "It's okay," she replied, before walking over to my dresser.

I pulled my haori back on, grimacing. _What am I doing? _I thought; _she's a captain… Plus…_ Hara flashed in my mind, causing my grip to tighten around the hem of my haori.

"What are these?" called Raeyah suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned around and my jaw fell open in surprise.

"How the hell do you see with these things?" she cried, wobbling around, "I can't see where I'm going!"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing; she was wearing a pair of my favorite sunglasses that I had gotten from the Silver Dragonfly Shop.

Raeyah spun and almost fell over; I came towards her, "Oi be careful, those cost me half a year's pay!"

"Half a year's pay?!" she gasped trying to take a step towards me. Of course, she tripped and fell over, and I of course tried to catch her, tripping over myself and falling on top of her.

"Uhh…hello" She blushed, the glasses resting on her forehead. I stared down at her, my face turning bright red.

Suddenly footsteps thundered towards us; we both froze and looked up to see one of my squad members, Richiki.

"Abarai Fukutai…cho…" He froze seeing us on the floor, his own face flushing red. "Uh, I'm sorry to have bothered you!" he cried suddenly, turning and running, shock on his face.

"It-It's not what you think Richiki!" I stammered, pulling back and sitting on the floor.

It was too late, he had already turned tail down the hallway, probably thinking that Raeyah and I...

I slapped my forehead. "Crap…" I turned to Raeyah, "Sorry bout tha-" My eyes widened; she was gone.

I got to my feet and looked around my room, "Raeyah?" I called, but she was gone.

"Damn it." I sighed, laying down on my bed and rubbing my tired eyes. Before I knew it, I was asleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Bad Morning

* * *

***Chapter 6***

***Grimmjow's POV***

"Oi, wake up!" I hissed, prodding Hara's side. She mumbled something and rolled over out of my reach, pulling my jacket over her head in the process.

I growled and sat up, glaring at her. "Hara, get up." I growled.

She didn't move.

I cursed and reached as far as I could, my fingers barely curling around her ankle. "Get the hell up, Goddammit!" I shouted, making her jump and on reflex kick, making my fingers crack against the cell bars.

"Ah!" I snarled, pulling back angrily.

"Muhwha-?!" she gasped, raising her head and staring at me sleepily. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes, before shaking her head of sleep. "What is it?" Her eyes narrowed; "Why are you holding your hand like that?"

I glared at her, "Never mind. Tch, I'd wake the dead before I'd wake you…" I flexed my hand to make sure my hand still worked, "And you kick like a friggin' demon when you're asleep."

"Sorry," she chuckled. Hara let out a yawn and stretched her arms over her head; my jacket fell into her lap. "Eh?" She picked it up and looked from it to me.

"You were shivering," I growled, "You should have worn something warmer."

She stuck her tongue out at me, "It's not like I planned on ending up in here." She sniffed the jacket, "Mmm…it smells like your shampoo…"

I rolled my eyes, "Can I have it back if you're done smelling it? I'm cold too ya know."

She gave me her famous grin before tossing it to my outstretched hand, "Thanks Grimm," she said.

I shrugged and put on my jacket before I ran a hand through my hair to force it out of my eyes.

"So why'd you wake me up? Is something going on?" she asked.

"Yeah. Do you hear that?" I asked, nodding towards the door. She tilted her head and closed her eyes; sounds of crashing and yelling could be heard, followed by other voices crying out.

In other words, it sounded like all hell was breaking lose out there.

"What the-!?"

BANG!!!

The door flew open and slammed against the wall; Hara and I jumped, both pulling into defensive positions. Smoke poured into the cell room, followed by a staggering shape.

"Akon?" coughed Hara as she waved away the smoke. "What the hell is going on?"

He stumbled to our cells, grabbing onto the bars to hold himself up. My eyebrow rose at his appearance; the guy's hair was standing on end and a few strands were smoking as if they had been on fire. His face was smudged with soot and he had a cut on his right cheek.

"You guys under attack or something?" I asked.

Hara and I exchanged a glance when he began to laugh, his eyes wide; it was not a sane laugh. "K-Kurotsuchi-san is h-having a bad m-morning…" he stammered, "He-"

"AKON!" shouted the prick of a captain, "Get out here now! You need to finish the preparations, NOW!"

"Y-yes Kurotsuchi-taicho!" he yelled, tripping over himself before running out of the room.

A minute later, "AND JUST WHERE ARE MY SUBJECTS?! IMBECILE! DID I TELL YOU NOT TO BRING THEM?!" shrieked the captain. There was a cry of pain followed by cussing, "CURSES! NEMU, BE USEFUL FOR ONCE AND BRING ME THE PRISONERS!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama." The woman appeared in the doorway, looking as calm as ever. She walked up to our cells and opened the doors, "Mayuri-sama would like to conduct the interrogation now. Please follow me."

I got to my feet and slid out of the cell; _it would be very easy for us to just escape-_

"Not yet," hissed Hara at my side. Damn, sometimes she could read me like a book. I stared at her; _Not yet…? _Did that mean she had something in mind? A grin spread over my face as I followed the lieutenant into the main room, Hara at my side.

The room was more or less free of smoke, so we could now see what had caused it. There were a few craters in the walls, and a crumpled looking metal table against a far wall. The few shinigami that were in there were running around frantically, looking as though they thought Mayuri was going to attack them at any random second.

I chuckled when a brown haired girl turned to see Hara and I walk up; she let out a squeak and almost dropped her papers, her eyes wide. I gave her an evil grin, I couldn't help myself. All these shinigami were afraid of me-as they should.

Hara shook her head at me, but was grinning nonetheless.

"Ahem," coughed the captain, "If you are done frightening my squad…"

We both turned to see him standing behind us, grinning maliciously. I glared at him while Hara seemed unaffected, her expression cocky and relaxed. Kurotsuchi frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing before he turned away and began walking down a smoke-free hallway.

"This way," he snapped.

Hara and I didn't move.

Kurotsuchi turned around, "Now!"

"No need to be pushy," chuckled Hara as she began walking. I followed, my hands shoved into my pockets.

I grinned and leaned towards her, "Oi… what kind of things did you do to him when you were a kid?" I whispered, curious. It was obvious that Kurotsuchi didn't like her much...so what caused it?

Hara paused, a grin flashing over her face as she thought about it. "Well let's see… Once I set fire to his lab… which then caught his hat on fire…"

Kurotsuchi flinched and glanced back at us, his eyes furious.

"Then there was the time that I cut the power to his main computer… Oh!" she laughed, "Once Zuro and I snuck in and switched labels on his test tubes… Come to think of it, that's how things caught fire… He mixed the wrong things together…Oh! And we let out all his test subjects… all in the same day…"

Hara grinned as wide as she could as the captain froze, his back tense as he wheeled around.

"Do you _know_ how long it took to fix the damage you two caused?" he shrieked.

"No," she sung back, causing him to grit his teeth.

He led us a bit further down the hall, before he stopped and opened the door. "I am going to make this as _painful_ as possible…"

Hara just laughed and winked at me as we walked into the room.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7: FILLER!

Eheheh, so Yeah, I need more time getting out the next chaps for both fics.... v.v sorry ppls i've been busy.

SO! I made this for your entertainment XD

It's for both my main fics (if you don't know them)

* * *

The OC MEME:

Choose 10 of your OC's. If you don't have ten then fill in the empty place with cool people.

1)Hara Ayumi -Trust/Truth

2)Zuro Ayumi -Trust/Truth

3)Mamoru Kiyoshi - Lost But not Forgotten

4)Raeyah Erantine -Trust/Truth

5)Cyan Erantine -Trust/Truth

6)Grimmjow!-Trust/Truth

7)Raven Nightwing -Trust/Truth

8)Kensei Muguruma-Lost But Not Forgotten

9)Ulquiorra-Trust/Truth (I just threw him in for some reason)

10) Yume Asura-Lost But Not Forgotten

* * *

**1)Four (Raeyah) Invites three (Mamoru) and 8 (Kensei) to dinner at their house. What happens?**

_Kensei and Mamoru start fighting about Yume over the main course. Raeyah beats them both senseless and then eats dessert while the two men apologize._

_It would go something like:_

"_Yume likes me best, you know." Said Mamoru over the spaghetti._

"_Is that so?" asked Kensei, eyeing him over his fork full of noodles, "Keep dreamin' kid."_

"_It's not a dream! Yume's mine!"_

"_Not that again! Shut up and eat your dinner dumbass!"_

"_You can't boss me around! Yume belongs to me and only me!"_

"_Say it again kid," growled Kensei as he got ever so much closer to the red faced Mamoru._

"_Yume-"_

_FIGHT ENSUES!_

_Spaghetti flies! _

_Raeyah kills and moves onto to French silk pie._

"_Now ya better apologize, or no desert for the both of ya idiots!"_

_Both men bow, wincing as their bruises twinge._

"_We are sorry for our behavior!" Raeyah nods and pushes pie at them._

"_Ha, I bet you don't know what Yume's favorite pie is!" cries Mamoru suddenly._

_With inhuman precision, Raeyah throws the pie pan at Mamoru, covering both men in French silk goop._

"_Anyone say one more thing, and I'll…"_

**2) Nine (Ulquiorra) tries to get five (Cyan) to go to a strip club.**

_Yeah….Right._

"_Wow man, who knew you had it in you?" states Cyan as he pats Ulquiorra on the back._

"_Don't touch me." stated the monotonous Ulquiorra as he and Cyan walked out the club._

"_But really, no one would suspect you of all peo-" before he could even finish his sentence the arrancar had placed the tip of his sword to Cyan's neck._

"_Speak of this to anyone, and I will give you unimaginable suffering. Am I clear?"_

"_C-crystal." Stammered Cyan._

**3) You need to stay at a friends house for a night. Who do you choose, one or six?**

"_Ahaha… That's funny." Says Raen Okami (Me) as she looks around. Six and one stare at her, both trying to seem more appealing than the other._

"_Umm…Uh…I…" She stammers, before bowing her head._

"_Grimmjow, I choose you!" she screams, suddenly throwing herself at the blue haired espada who wore a surprised expression. "Sorry Hara…but Grimm's the smexta espada…I can't help it…"_

**4) Two (Zuro) and seven (Raven) are making out. Ten (Yume)walks in. What is their reaction?**

_Yume's expression changes from shock, to confusion and then to indifference. She turns and walks back the way she came, not wanting to get in the way of the two lovers that she has never met. (Diff fics afterall)_

**5) Three (Mamoru) falls in love with six (Grimmjow), eight (Kensei)is jealous. What happens?**

_Grimmjow nearly kills Mamoru, and then fights Kensei who is jealous of Grimm beating up Moru._

"_Oh, Grimmjow, I love you!" cries Mamoru as he glomps the sexta espada._

"_WTF?! Get the hell off of me you freak!" yells Grimmjow throwing him backwards._

"_But I love you!"_

"_Well I don't, so leave me the **** alone!" Grimmjow prepares a cero to get rid of the troublesome shinigami._

_Suddenly, "Wait!" cries Kensei, coming out of the bushes, "Don't do it man!"_

_Grimmjow pauses, "Why the hell not?"_

_Kensei draws sword, "Cuz I want to kill him first."_

_Screams could be heard from around the seritei._

…

_Poor Mamoru._

**6) Four (Cyan) Jumps you in a dark alleyway. Who comes to your rescue, ten (Yume) , two (Zuro), or seven (Raven)?**

_I don't need them to rescue me! I have a my kung fu skillz! Instead, Yume, Zuro and Raven watch with amusement._

"_Hmm… Who knew you could bind and gag a person using toilet paper, a paper clip and an empty box of poky?" says Raven as he watches the poor neko Cyan struggle._

"_Dunno," replies Yume with a shrug. "But I'd love to learn how."_

**7) One (Hara)decides to start a cooking show. Fifteen minutes later what is happening?**

_Yume and Raeyah attempt to help, but end up fighting with Hara over who the host should be. In the end, the men had to pull them apart, only to fight amongst themselves over the women and the food._

"_I'm the host!" screams Hara as she throws eggs at Yume who dodges them and tosses a bowl of half made brownie mix._

"_Oh yeah? Well shut up! I'm the host now!"_

_Raeyah returns from the freezer and slaps them both with trout, "The both of you idiots are wrong! I AM the host!"_

_At this point, Grimmjow, Kensei, Mamoru, and Cyan intervene, only to fight over who got to pull back who, and who would get to eat the finished products._

_No one wins and all are fired from the studio._

**8) Three (Mamoru) has to marry either eight (Kensei), four (Raeyah), or nine (Raven). Who do they choose?**

_Mamoru gulped, looking at the three candidates for marriage. He already had ruled out Kensei, who he would never choose, ever, leaving Raeyah or Raven._

"…_you I guess…" he muttered, pointing at the dark skinned beauty Raven._

"_Me?" she asked in a…man's voice?_

_Mamoru fell back with horror, "Wait, you're a man! No, I take it back! I take it back!!!!!"_

"_Sorry kido, but it's too late. You two are fiancées now." said Raeyah, patting his back._

"_Nooooo!!!!!!!" cried Mamoru._

**9) Seven (Raven) kidnaps two (Zuro) and demands something from five (Raeyah) for two's (Zuro's) release. What is it?**

_The divorce application so he can divorce Mamoru and remarry to Zuro instead, since they kissed and all._

**10) Everyone gangs up on three (Mamoru). Does three (Mamoru) have a chance in hell?**

_No._

_Sorry to say._

_But no._

**11) Everyone is invited to two (Zuro) and ten's (Yume's) wedding. Except for eight (Kensei). How do they react?**

"_I wouldn't even go if they asked me!" snarled Kensei as he pouted in his room, "How could she marry him?!"_

"_Poor kensei…" muttered anyone in earshot of the poor mans cry._

**12) Why is six (Grimmjow) afraid of seven (Raven)?**

_Because Raven went cannibal and ate Ulquiorra for dinner and then said Grimm was next._

**13) One (Hara) arrives late for two (Zuro) and ten's (Yume's) wedding. Why were they late?**

_Because Hara was busy with her cooking show, and Grimmjow slept in too late…_

**14) Five (Cyan) and nine (Ulquiorra) get roaring drunk and end up at your house. What happens?**

_See #2._

**15) Nine (Ulquiorra) murders two's (Zuro's) best friend. What does two (Zuro) do to get back at them?**

_Locks him up in a room with a caffeine high Ichimaru for a month._

**16) Six (Grimmjow) and one (Hara) are in mortal danger, only one of them can survive. Does 6 (Grimm) save himself or one (Hara)?**

_Grimmjow would attempt to save Hara, but Hara would refuse to leave him behind._

**17) Eight (Kensei) and three (Mamoru)go camping. For some reason they forget to bring any food. What do they do?**

"_I thought you put the food in the car!" cried Mamoru as he waved his arms around enthusiastically._

"_What car?! We walked!" shouted Kensei._

_Long story short, they fight amongst themselves, miss a mealtime, and run to Yume for food._

**18) Five (Cyan) is in a car crash and is critically injured. What does nine ****(Ulquiorra) ****do?  
**

_Stand over him in the hospital and laugh._

"_Now you will take my little secret to the grave, ne neko-kun?"_

_(See #14 and #2)_

* * *

Alright well that's it!

I felt bad not giving you guys _something _to read^^


	8. Chapter 8: Experimenting

Ah finally, right? Sorry bout the long wait there guys v.v

^^ i'm glad everyone liked the meme... I really did feel bad about the lateness so I had to do something ^^;;

cheeky half-demon: yup XD

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: hells to the yeah XD Grimm is teh awesomenest

* * *

*Chapter 7*

*Hara's POV*

_Typical,_ I thought, looking around the room. There were tons of gadgets, and a HUGE computer, just like any other room Mayuri used for research--and I would know, seeing how I pretty much destroyed all of the rooms he had back when I was a kid.

In the center of the room were two identical metal tables; I knew he wanted us to lay on them so he could poke and prod us at his leisure...

_Yeah, right._

With a silent signal to Grimm, I went over to the far counter and sat on top of it; Grimm followed and leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest.

Mayuri stared at us for a moment, his teeth clenched, before he turned away to fiddle with something on the far side of one of the tables; I thought I caught him mutter "incompliant imbeciles" under his breath.

The scientific captain turned around, "Now then, let's begin." His yellow eyes moved from me to Grimmjow, as if sizing us up.

"Which one…?" muttered Kurotsuchi aloud. I grinned and started to slide off the counter, but Grimmjow stepped forward.

"Me." he said.

Kurotsuchi's eyes narrowed slightly, before a sadistic grin broke across his face. "Ah, that will be fine. Please remove your shirt and lay down on the table."

"Tch. Whatever." Grimmjow shrugged off his jacket and threw it at me, before leaping onto the table and laying down with his arms behind his head.

Kurotsuchi went to one of the large consoles and hit a yellow button. "Nemu! Get in here now!"

A moment later the lieutenant walked into the room; she bowed before he barked for her to get him some sort of device. Then he turned to Grimmjow with a handheld device that let out some ringing sounds; when it was close to his skin it let out a shriek, before falling silent.

"Ah, so you were an adjucha of feline appearance…" muttered the captain as he moved the device up and down Grimm's body. With his other hand he tapped a button on the side of the device; it let out a beep and flashed green. "Evidence of hollow remnants found here-" he roughly poked the jaw fragment on Grimm's cheek, "-and here." He poked the edge of the hollow hole on his stomach.

Grimmjow glared at the captain, before turning his head to wink at me. His expression went from grinning at me to sudden shock and annoyance as Kurotsuchi put his hand through Grimmjow's hollow hole experimentally.

"What the hell are you doing?!" snarled Grimmjow. Mayuri ignored him and hit a few buttons.

"Hm… Are you able to consume food with this being here?"

I began giggling into Grimm's jacket; Matsumoto had asked something similar.

"Shut up." He snarled, glaring at me and swatting at Mayuri's hand away.

The captain only laughed and moved onto the next device of torture; whatever it was required Grimmjow to have a whole bunch of wires stuck to his body that were connected to the large computer; as I watched, the screen was covered with data, graphs and numbers.

I could barely make heads or tails of it, but it seemed Kurotsuchi was taking his vitals. Then, he began questioning Grimmjow.

"Arrancar, tell me, do you still work for Aizen?"

"No." growled Grimm.

"What do you think of Aizen?" asked Kurotsuchi in a slightly bored tone.

"I hate the bastard," snapped Grimmjow.

"Hm. Do you work for anyone at this time?"

"No." he growled, "Now take these goddamned wires off of me!"

The captain ignored him. "What are your ties to Erantine Raeyah and the foreign seritei?"

"I barely know them!" he snarled, reaching up ripping the wires off his head. Kurotsuchi frowned and pressed a button, causing the wires to snap back on, as well as restraints to suddenly wind around his middle, arms and legs, pinning him to the table. "What the hell?! Get these the hell off of me!" he roared, struggling.

_This is going splendid,_ I thought,_ I just can't _wait_ for my turn!_

"We can't have you pulling those off just yet," said Kurotsuchi with a smirk, "I need to read your vitals when I ask you these questions." He hit another button on his handheld device, "Now then," his yellow eyes fixed and narrowed on Grimmjow's face. "Where does your allegiance lie?"

"Bastard…" he growled in reply, "Release me and I'll fucking tell you!"

"Wrong answer." Mayuri pulled the little silver box from his pocket and hit the button before I could even cry out a warning. Grimmjow flinched but didn't let out a sound as the wrist bands glowed white hot.

"Grimm!" I cried, taking a few steps forward. Mayuri held up the device menacingly.

"Stay there." He ordered; I gave him the strongest death glare I could muster and crossed my arms over my chest with a growl. _Grimm, _I thought, _don't give him anymore reason to zap you! _If Kurotsuchi zapped him anymore, I'd be unable to stop myself from retaliating and getting us into worse trouble.

"Let's try that again," said Mayuri. "Where does your allegiance lie?"

"With myself," snapped Grimmjow.

"Is that so?" asked Kurotsuchi, "Hmm…" He sounded like he didn't completely believe him; Mayuri even checked his device to be sure. A few seconds later his yellow eyes moved to stare at me, before moving back to Grimm.

"Hn. Arrancar answer me this: just what is your relationship with that woman there?" he pointed at me.

"What do you mean?" asked Grimmjow.

Kurotsuchi sneered, "It's obvious that the two of you are more than just comrades... Are you two a couple?"

"What the hell?" I suddenly snarled, "That's none of your business!" I dared to take a few steps forward, until I was only feet away. "Why do you need to know something like that?"

"It is an intriguing idea whether or not two different species can efficiently coexist and even possibly reprodu-"

WHAM!

Without thinking, I cleared the distance between us and slammed my fist into his nose, my body filled with red hot anger.

"You disgusting, perverted freak!" I shrieked, watching as he stumbled backwards.

Grimmjow made a sound of surprise and delight as the captain fell against the other table; I turned and tore at his restraints, managing to only rip off the one across his waist.

"Oh it hurts!" cried Mayuri as he leaned against the table, holding his nose. "How could you attack me? Oooh!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to free Grimmjow of the remaining restraints, my fingers stinging as the metal bands began to cut into them.

"Hara!" cried Grimmjow suddenly, his eyes flashing to something over my shoulder. I turned only to move too late; Kurotsuchi was behind me, looking totally unharmed.

"Did you really think a punch like that could harm me?" he asked, his face inches from mine. Before I could say anything, Kurotsuchi grabbed my neck and sent me flying back into the wall, where I sunk to the floor, my shoulder blades feeling like they had cracked.

A sneer rose on Mayuri's face as he stared at me and then Grimmjow who was struggling to get free. "This is becoming tiring as it seems that questioning you further in this fashion would be pointless." The sneer turned into a full blown grin, "I was going to save this for later, but I think I shall use it now…"

He turned to Nemu, "Commence Retrieval System X5271… You know the settings."

"Hai Mayuri-sama." Nemu went over to the main console and began hitting a few buttons; before a dispenser popped out two wedge shaped pieces of what I thought were plastic. Nemu brought them to her captain who quickly snatched them from her and came towards me.

"Shall we begin?" he asked, holding them up with that infamous malicious grin. I tried to get up, but my body wouldn't listen; the pain in my shoulders was strong, and I think he might have bruised the bones.

"How 'bout not, teme?" asked a familiar voice before sending Kurotsuchi into the wall beside me, a hole in his stomach.

"Grimmjow!" I cried with relief and surprise.

He grinned at me, before dodging a kick from Nemu who flash stepped at him.

"Damn it," I growled, trying to get up. I pushed myself up the wall and leaned against it, wincing at the sharp pain.

I looked up to see Grimmjow holding Nemu by her neck, his expression bloodthirsty.

"Oi don't kill her!" I shouted, "She isn't the one who did this to us!"

"…fine…" growled Grimmjow disappointedly. Instead of dealing her a killing blow, he dropped her onto the floor where she lay gasping for air.

I gritted my teeth and started forwards, cursing Kurotsuchi the whole time. Grimmjow turned to see me, his expression going from somewhat angry to really angry.

"Dumbass!" he snarled, using sonido.

_Dumbass? _I thought; _why is he calling me…?_ I glanced back suddenly, to see Mayuri behind me.

"Oh crap-!" I gasped, as his zanpakuto slashed the back of my legs, sending me to the floor. Kurotsuchi laughed and put a foot on my back, causing my shoulder blades to throb again. "Ah!" I cried. I tried to move, to roll out from under him, but my arms and legs wouldn't move.

I looked up to see Grimmjow running towards him, only to skid to a stop, his face furious as the blade was pressed to my neck.

"You…two are too troublesome…" growled Kurotsuchi. "For me to have to revert to such tactics… what a pity." He sighed.

"What'd you do to me?" I snarled, hating the fact that I was being used as a shield.

"My zanpakuto paralyzes the nerves in the arms and legs of whoever it cuts." He replied. With his free hand he pulled a vial out of his shihakusho and stabbed the edge of his wound with it; in a few seconds, the missing chunk of flesh disappeared and was replaced by healthy, unharmed skin. "I've had enough of this." He spat angrily, putting weight on my back and causing me to groan as my shoulders throbbed again.

"Let her go," snarled Grimmjow, taking a step forward.

."Tch. Why would I do as you say?" replied Kurotsuchi, "You have neither bargaining chip nor a way to stop me. And, I also have this!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver box, pushing the button and holding it down.

"Shi-!" Grimmjow fell to the floor with a painful howl, the bands around his wrists glowing white as his body convulsed as if with electric shock.

"Grimmjow!" I screamed, trying to move my arms and legs so I could destroy that device.

Mayuri laughed and stepped over to Grimmjow.

"Hm...Arrancar are such a sturdy breed…" He nudged Grimmjow with his foot, "How does it feel? The voltage running through your body would kill most shinigami instantaneously…" He pulled back, "I wonder how much more you can take…"

"Stop it!" I cried, "Leave him alone!"

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" replied Mayuri, pressing the button to release Grimmjow.

I could feel my anger building up in my chest, spinning and compressing. My eyes moved to Grimm; he lay on the floor panting weakly.

A feral snarl forced its way out of me as I suddenly found myself rising onto my hands and knees, my blood feeling like it was boiling.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be able to move!" cried the captain, taking a few steps towards me.

"You…bastard…" coughed Grimmjow suddenly, rolling onto his stomach. His eyes went wide as they met mine, "What did you…do to her?" he muttered.

"Be quiet." Snapped Mayuri. "This is definitely a strange ability…Just what is it that you have done to yourself, Miss Ayumi?"

I stood shakily on my feet staring at them; _what are they talking about?!_


	9. Chapter 9: Morning in the 6th

This is soooo late *A*

I thought that since I was on winter break, I'd have plenty of writing time... Hahahaha...ha v.v No.

Hence the lateness of the last few chaps v.v;;

But I'm trying, so just keep hanging in there, k?

cheeky half-demon: eheheh, i don't think it was 'soon' but, it's here nonetheless ^^

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: Lolz, I bet you would (I would too, of course...and then kidnap Grimm and keep him XD)

Grimjaww: thanks, i will! XD

**Ne, guys, there's something I GOT ta tell ya**

So, I also post my work on quizilla (if ya didn't know), and there's this shared account I'm in. It's too long of an explanation, but the story we're workin on has a mix of bleach, Devil May Cry, Helsing, and whatever else we feel like throwing in. Now these writers I'm working with are rly good, so it's not going to be a waste of time or anything. An luvmylilshadow-san (who I look up to) is an **AWESOME** writer. So anyway, check us out at **http: www. // fanfiction .net /~legionofdoomdotcom (**the link thing isn't working on my net, so I put spaces...^^;;)

alright, well talk to you either next -Truth- chap, or for those that read my kensei fic, see you..._hopefully_ tomorrow ^^;;

* * *

_***_Chapter 8***

*Raeyah's POV**

"Raeyah-san!" yelled someone suddenly, as I was blissfully sleeping. I cracked open an eye, let out a groan, and rolled over.

_Five more mins…_

"Erantine-san wake up!"

_Go…away…_

There was a loud bang, followed by cursing.

My right eye opened, followed by my left.

_Wait a minute… this isn't my room…_

I rolled over onto my back and glanced around, feeling utterly confused.

A second ago I had been _sure_ I was lying on my bed at home… But, as I looked around, it hit me.

"Ah! Jus' a minute!" I cried, leaping to my feet.

Nearly every bone in my back popped, causing me to groan. Sleeping on the floor had made my body feel stiff; usually in the N.A.S.S, I either slept on a couch or a nice fat mattress… Here, I slept on a thin mat on a hardwood floor.

_I'll just have to do some stretching or something later._ I thought.

I stumbled to the door, my hand instinctively reaching for a handle and not finding one.

"Err… I forgot about these slide doors…" I growled, sliding the door open.

Renji was standing in the doorway, his hair up and his shihakusho neat and clean.

I looked up at him sleepily, rubbing at my eyes. "Stripes? Uh…What is it? Wakin' me up so early…"

He stared at me in surprise, "Uh… Kuchiki-taicho wants to talk with you."

I yawned, "Really? Mm… well better let me get dressed…" Before he could answer, I slid the door shut.

I went to where I had put my clothes (last night I had found a robe and slept in that instead), but couldn't find them. Instead, there was a neatly folded, black shihakusho and white haori...

"What the hell?! Where's my clothes!"

"That's what I was about to explain if you hadn't slammed the door in my face," growled Renji as he walked in. I mentally chuckled; it seemed he wasn't a morning person himself.

I spun around. "Oh, uh sorry Stripes… But do I _have_ to wear the old fashioned shinigami shihakusho?" I whined.

"Why do you keep calling me…" he struggled to pronounce the English word, "Sutoraipu?"

I grinned and let out a chuckle, "Stripes means 'shima' (which is Japanese for stripe.)" I poked him in the chest, "An' I'm calling you that because you have stripes, get it?"

He stared at me as I turned and picked up the shihakusho. "I guess I have to wear this… Err…fine."

I turned around, and he was still staring at me.

"What?!"

A smirk spread across his face, before he shook his head. "Nothing, nothing." Renji went to the door, "Get dressed. Kuchiki-taicho doesn't like his 'guests' to be late."

"Yeah, yeah." I growled as he shut the door behind him. Within a few minutes I found myself wearing the shihakusho, but I left my shoes off. We were inside after all.

"Oi, I'm ready…" I called, sliding open the door.

"Bout time." Replied Renji as he stepped forwards. I stuck my tongue out at him, before sliding my zanpakuto under my sash.

He shook his head at me, before walking down the hall. "Come on," he called.

I followed, my eyes sweeping the hallway. I hadn't really noticed how big the place was last night, but now that I saw it I couldn't help but feel impressed.

We had been walking for a good ten minutes in silence, and not once did we run into any of his squad… I guessed it was either because of the size of the place, or that they were trying to keep away from their captain-he did seem a bit…strict to say the least.

"Uh…Renji." I said, breaking the silence.

He slowed his pace and glanced at me, "Hm?"

An embarrassed grin broke across my face, "Uh about the other night… What happened…" I scratched my head, "I feel like I should apologize or something…umm…" I tried to read his expression to figure out what to say, because the other night had been _awkward_ to the highest degree, not to mention the fact that I had high tailed it outta there before he could even finish his sentence.

At the time it seemed the best thing to do, for both our sakes. Knowing me, I'd probably have made a bigger fool of myself if I had stayed any longer.

"Why do you think you need to apologize?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh…I…" For some reason I felt the urge to blush. "I…I don't really know!" I laughed, but it sounded fake.

"I said this before, an' I'll say it again… You're weird." He smiled, shaking his head.

Renji stopped and opened a door on his left, "Don't worry about it, I mean it was an accident after all." He laughed, looking in.

I smiled, but for some reason, his saying it was an accident made me feel a bit sad.

Renji gestured for me to follow, and so I did, walking into a large room with an open porch. There was a table and some cushions on the floor, other than that, the room was bare.

"Kuchiki-taicho?" called Renji, taking a few steps forward.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out towards the garden; it was bright with fresh grass and there were some large boulders strewn about…to make it natural I guess.

Renji went out onto the porch to search for Byakuya; I followed him so I could smell some fresh air.

"This is weird," said Renji, "Where did Taicho go?"

Besides the two of us, the garden and room were empty of any living beings.

I frowned, "Hm… This is definitely odd… I mean, I don't really know your captain, but if he's anything like I'm guessing, then he usually never leaves a guest waiting, right?"

Renji nodded, "Yeah..." He looked around with a frown, "Well I guess we should go and see if we can find out where he went-"

"That is not necessary," said a voice as the door closed. We both spun around to see Byakuya walking in. He looked as _friendly_ as always, and when his gaze moved to me, it darkened just the slightest.

I resisted the urge to tilt my head as I thought, _well what's your problem buddy?_

He sat down on one of the cushions, gesturing for us to do the same, or so I thought. When Renji went to sit down, Byakuya stared at him in a way that made Renji back up.

"Uh… If you need me…" he went to the door, glanced at me, and left.

I stared at Byakuya; _great…now I'm alone with him…_And_ he seems to be in a _great_ mood._

It was obvious the 6th squad captain didn't like me much, if he liked anyone.

"So… was there something you needed to talk to me about or something?" I asked, leaning back slightly and pulling my legs out from under me so I was sitting crossleggedly, instead of the uncomfortable 'on-my-heels' position.

"Yes," he replied, "General Commander-san has requested I ask you some questions regarding yourself and the North American Seritei."

"Mmm…" I tilted my head this time. "So I'm still not trusted then?" Before he could answer, I leaned in towards him slightly, "And is it _just_ the Gen. Commander who's wanting to know information?"

"What is it that you are implying?" asked Byakuya, his eyes remaining as cold as ever.

"Oh nothing, nothing. I just thought perhaps you had your own reasons to ask me about my background…"

"Ridiculous." He snapped, his expression annoyed.

I leaned back and stretched out my arms, letting a yawn roll out of me.

Yeah, I know I wasn't giving him a good impression, but really I didn't care.

"So, do you want to just cut to the chase and start asking me these questions of yours?" I asked, opening an eye.

"As you wish."

I sat upright and stared at him, waiting for my round of interrogation. Just as he started to speak, a wave of something hit me and made me go rigid with shock. My heart started beating at two times its normal speed, and my hands clenched the table until the wood groaned and cracked beneath my fingers.

_…?! _

_What the hell?! Don't tell me-_

"Erantine wha-" began Kuchiki, but then he felt it too.

In a flash we were both on our feet, our bodies facing the source of reitsu.

Squad 12.


	10. Chapter 10: Something Gone Wrong

Okay guys, early chap as promised.

Yeah, last chap in my opinion was kinda crappy.

But this one came out better than last, at least, I thought so. ^^

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: Yeah, I should have mentioned what happened. -___-;;

cheeky half-demon: Lol yeah

* * *

***Chapter 9***

*Hara's POV*

I had no idea what Mayuri was talking about, nor why Grimmjow was staring at me like that.

All I could feel was the powerful pressure in my chest, followed by a thrumming, burning sensation running through my veins.

I took a step forward, my body all but screaming to kill Kurotsuchi.

My jaw clenched, the feeling in my body was intense, like an explosive bonfire compressed into a container the size of my fist. At the same time my body felt light, but constricted, and I could feel myself shaking from the pure sensation of it.

_What is happening to me?!_

I took another step forward, and Mayuri stepped back slightly as if in defense, his eyes narrowed and cautious.

My hand shot out towards him, stopping inches away. Silver reitsu flickered off my skin like electricity, and my hair seemed to crackle with it too.

"Leave…Grimm…alone." I snarled, my hand closing so I could point at him.

"Hn." Chuckled Mayuri, the device in his hand.

My eyes narrowed with fury, and the reitsu increased.

It was almost painful, the sensation I felt. It was like there was something inside of me trying to break out, something full of a rage stronger than anything I could ever imagine.

My eyes flashed to Grimmjow, who was lying on his stomach and staring at me, his eyes wide with confusion and shock.

Panic flooded my chest, but it was quickly overcome by the sensation again. I felt tears in the corners of my eyes; I had no control!

As soon as Kurotsuchi came back into view, the feeling intensified. The bastard was grinning in a demonic fashion, his eyes greedy and cold.

He began to laugh, as if what was happening was nothing.

"Bastard!" I shrieked, "You evil, sadistic-"

I gasped and fell on a knee, the pain intensifying. My fingers moved to my head as my vision flashed red.

Whatever was happening to me wasn't going to last out much longer… My body couldn't take it.

Mayuri stepped towards me; "Well, this most definitely is interesting. I must…explore this power of yours…"

He moved so quickly that I had little time to react in my pain ridden state, all I could do was gasp as the two little metal wedges were attached to my temples.

"Nemu!" called Mayuri.

I tried to pull the wedges off, but before I could get my fingers around them, a powerful vibration went through the devices, causing me to fall forwards onto my hands.

The pressure in my chest was falling away rapidly, and all my wounds seemed to be coming back with twice the pain.

I looked over to Grimm, to see him straining to move towards me, his body covered in sweat and blood.

"Grimm-"

_**Flash!**_

_…?!_

My vision flashed red again, as I felt something pierce through my mind, ripping through my very thoughts.

I know I screamed and rolled onto my back, but everything else became hazy and unclear, before seeming to grind to a snails pace.

"Hara-!" gasped Grimmjow, from what seemed like miles away.

I couldn't move, and I couldn't see.

"Hm… Nemu, increase the power… I want to see exactly where this is coming from." Said Kurotsuchi.

My vision flickered, and I let out a groan. Suddenly I could see something, a distant light.

It was coming closer, very slowly.

_**FLASH!**_

An image flashed in my mind, but it was too quick to register.

"More!" shouted Mayuri.

"AGH!" I gasped, as more images flashed before me.

_A deserted landscape…_

_An intense rage._

_Blood splattering across everything…_

_Pain…_

"There, that's it!"

Whatever pain I thought I was going through was nothing compared to this.

I screamed, and screamed and screamed, my back arching and my eyes wide and unseeing.

I could hear Grimmjow yelling, followed by Mayuri, but it was growing fainter and fainter.

The light suddenly slammed into my consciousness, flooding me with a torrent of images and emotions that flickered, swelled and burst.

Slowly everything began to fade into a hazy black and white, before turning a numbing black.

_…_

*Grimmjow's POV*

"Hara!" I yelled, watching as her body writhed and convulsed, her eyes wide open. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, her hands clawing at the floor.

I threw myself up onto my hands and knees, even thought I felt like I was going to pass out. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and a sensation…fear.

The bastard scientist knelt beside Hara and started to try and pry the wedge things off of her, but just as his fingers got within inches of her, I staggered to my feet.

"Don't you _dare_ f*ing touch her!" I snarled, limping forwards.

He ignored me, and I felt a feral snarl rip through my throat, the rage propelling me forwards regardless of my condition.

He looked up, his hand hitting the button on the silver box and sending me to the floor with a scream.

"Don't interfere." He said calmly.

I crawled forwards, coughing up blood the whole time. My fingers reached for Hara's arm; if I could just get a hold of her, I could pull her away from him.

She continued to thrash and scream, and some of her old wounds were beginning to reopen and bleed.

_Shi-!_

I made to grab for her, but the teme hit the button again.

"AAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, feeling as if my skin was going to catch fire.

"I told you not to interfere!" he shouted, before releasing the button.

I lay against the floor, panting. I could feel that if I took any more of that thing, I'd pass out.

_That cant' happen!_ I forced myself forwards, my eyes locked on Hara's tortured face.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was still screaming, again and again.

And that teme captain was just sitting there watching.

_She could be dying Goddamit!_

As if in answer, her screaming stopped and she relaxed onto the floor, her eyes closing and blood dripping from her partially open mouth.

_No, Hara!_

Somehow I pushed myself onto my knees, somehow forcing myself into a sitting position.

And he was still just sitting there, watching her like she was some experiment, like it didn't matter that she was in pain, that she was probably dying.

In a flash my hand was around his neck; I squeezed as hard as I could, his jugular crunching under the pressure.

"What the _hell_ did you do to her?!" I screamed, before punching him in the face as hard as I could.

The captain fell backwards away from me, but I didn't look twice.

I turned to Hara and gathered her in my arms.

"Hara!" I shouted, "Hara…snap out of it!"

Her body was limp, and she didn't respond.

"Hara…" I pulled her tight to me, "Come on…wake up…"

Still nothing.

"Hara! Goddammit, open your fucking eyes! Ha-!!!!!"

She suddenly let out a gasp, her eyes opening and her body tensing before relaxing.

My body swayed and tilted forwards, threatening to go out on me, but I fought it and held her close, my lips against her forehead.

"Grimm…jow…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. I pulled back and brushed a few stray hairs away from her face.

"Shh…" I replied, "It's alright. I've got you…"

She smiled, before closing her eyes and passing out.

I don't know how, but I found I had the strength to stand up, with Hara securely in my arms.

Without a word I began towards the door, my jaw set as each movement caused my body to throb with pain.

"Kurotsuchi-sama what-?!" the weird guy with the horns whose name I couldn't remember came crashing through the door, knocking it off its hinges. Behind him were more shinigami, all who stared at me and began drawing their swords.

I glared and was ready to fight if it came down to it, even though I knew that I couldn't last against any of them in my current state.

BANG!

A nearby wall exploded and crumbled to the floor as a figure stomped into the room.

"What in the hell is going on here?!" demanded a female voice.

I turned, to see Raeyah standing in the middle of the rubble, her arms crossed over her chest. Behind her were Renji and the cold looking captain whose name I didn't know.

I let out a slight growl as the floor slowly rose to meet me, my vision blurring before going black.

I didn't know what was going to happen to us, but I didn't care. All I cared about was that Hara was in my arms, that she was alive.


	11. Chapter 11:Interruptions & Frayed Nerves

Ciaossu! (__ I've been watching Katekyo Hitman Reborn! so what do you expect XD)

Umm... Yeah, early chap again! Woo~!

I can't promise exact dates for my chaps now (my deadline used to be something like every Sunday) Well, I'm back in school and have annoying, difficult homework giving, torturing classes =___=

In other news (lol) this is one of my better Raeyah POV chaps....or atleast I thought so ^^;; but I'll leave that for you to decide.

cheeky half-demon: Yup, again it does! And thanks as always!

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: Aaah! Don't cry! Lol And thanks XD

AltairLover: Taadaaa! Here ya go!

* * *

***Chapter 10***

*Raeyah's POV*

I watched as the blue haired arrancar, Grimmjow, fell to the floor, Hara beneath him.

The both of them were badly hurt, but why?

My eyes wheeled to the captain who was staggering to his feet, pushing his subordinates away as they tried to help him. He was pretty badly injured himself, so that meant…

My expression darkened as I strode over to him, Renji and Byakuya following.

"You," I said, "Are you the one who did that to them?" I pointed to Grimmjow and Hara.

The captain-who was the weirdest looking guy I had ever seen- cracked his jaw back into place and spit.

"Yes-"

I grabbed his collar with a snarl, causing his squad members to flinch and then prepare to attack.

He was annoyed, but not very surprised.

"Raeyah-san you can't attack captains-!" cried Renji.

"Oh yes I c-" I began, but stopped, my expression darkening.

Byakuya's zanpakuto was resting on my shoulder.

"Release him." He ordered.

I bared my teeth slightly, glaring at Byakuya, and then the odd looking captain. My fingers remained tight around his shihakusho; I know _this jerk caused that explosion of reitsu earlier…_

"Now, Erantine," commanded Byakuya.

He was _really_ getting on my nerves; I mean, I was a captain as well… Who is he to order me around?

"Fine." I finally said, letting go of the captain and crossing my arms over my chest. "But he has some explaining to do…"

"Oh? Is that so?" asked the captain, his yellow eyes malicious.

Byakuya removed his sword from my shoulder and sheathed it; Renji meanwhile had made his way over to Hara and Grimmjow; without looking I could tell he was trying to figure out what he should do, whether or not he should help.

"Yeah," I growled, "Tell me, why are those two in such a condition? If I remember right, you were supposed to interrogate them…not put them on the edge of death!"

"Hn. I see no reason why I have to answer. You have no jurisdiction here."

I fought to keep myself calm, though I could feel my anger rising to a boil.

The captain tilted his head, his expression calculating.

"Hm… Your eyes… You seem to carry a similar ability to that girl over there…" he muttered.

I blinked.

"What are you talking about?" I replied, caution replacing my anger. I knew _exactly_ what he meant, but he didn't need to know about it.

The captain seemed to catch on, but didn't say anything on it.

I opened my mouth to demand he explain what he did to Hara and Grimmjow, regardless of his 'jurisdiction', but before I had uttered a syllable, Renji shouted.

"Kuchiki-taicho, these two need medical treatment immediately!"

Byakuya turned around to where Grimmjow and Hara were lying; Renji was standing over them, his eyes on Hara.

"They are within Kurotsuchi-taicho's custody; therefore it is his decision-"

It would seem that today was 'grab everyone by the collar day'…though in Kuchiki's case, I just grabbed a handful of his blue, fancy looking scarf.

"They will die if they don't get treatment!" I screeched, my face inches away from his (I had to stand on tiptoe, but I still made eye to eye contact). "Forget your bullshit rules and get them help before it's too late!"

The silence in the room was heavy, tense. I didn't let go, and I didn't move an inch.

Byakuya stared down at me in surprise, which quickly melted into quiet rage.

"Erantine-san," he said in an icy voice, "Remove your hand. You may be a captain in your seritei, but here you are nothing more than a guest… Know your place."

I let out a growl and ripped my fingers away, my eyes blazing with rage.

"You know what? Screw you!" I went over to Hara and Grimmjow. "If you won't do it," I slung Hara onto my shoulder, "Then I'll take them myself!" I looked to Renji, hoping he'd lend a hand and carry Grimmjow, who was a bit too heavy with Hara already on me. "Oi," I said, "Gimme a hand here."

Renji took a step back, his eyes moving from me to Byakuya. His expression was shocked, worried, and… it seemed like was trying to warn me of something-

My thoughts were cut short as I felt the cold steel of Byakuya's blade on my neck, tight enough that I could feel a drop of blood roll down my shirt.

_Damn did he move quick! _I thought; if I hadn't been holding Hara and in mid-thought, I might not have even caught the movement.

"I will not allow you to do that." Declared Byakuya coldly, "Let go of the girl and cease this behavior, before I take drastic measure."

I bared my teeth and was about to tell him where he could stick his 'drastic measure', but a new voice cut into the din.

"Well, well, well, what is going on in here?"

We all froze and turned to look at the newcomer-well, everyone but me seeing as I couldn't turn; Byakuya still held his zanpakuto to my throat.

"Kuchiki-taicho, why are you threatening Erantine-san?"

"She attempted to attack Kurotsuchi-taicho." He replied, "As well as attempt to take those two to squad four without their custodian's authorization."

"Dumbass I'm their friggin 'custodian'!" I snapped, "And they need medical help, now!"

"Ah, she's feisty!" laughed a different voice. "Erantine-san, young women such as yourself should not talk in such a fashion~!"

Okay, now I was really curious to who would say something like that to me.

"Oi, you mind letting me go now?" I growled, tapping the edge of Byakuya's zanpakuto in irritation.

"So be it, but all of this, including your attempted attack on Kurotsuchi will be reported to the Head Commander," was his reply as he pulled his zanpakuto away and sheathed it.

"Bout friggin' time." I growled, turning around. "Go ahead and tell the commander about what happened-Ah!? Cyan?! Raven?! Why the hell are you here? And why is she-" I pointed to a strict looking shinigami standing next to a tall curly haired captain in a pink kimono "-holding onto Cyan's ear like that?!"

If circumstances had been lighter, I probably would have laughed at the sight of a partially-and painfully- crouched Cyan being held by his left ear. His face was quite red, and he gave me a pleading look.

"Ah, Nanao caught him trying to sneak out of our division to find you…" said the curly haired captain with a lazy sort of voice and a smile.

"Not only that-" said Nanao as she tugged on Cyan's ear-

"Ow-ow-ow!!! You're gonna rip it off!" he wailed.

"-but I caught him stealing my undergarments from my closet beforehand."

I slapped my forehead; leave it to Cyan.

"What? Nanao you didn't tell me he did that! And I thought you said your undergarments weren't in the closet!"

With her free hand she smacked the captain in the face using a fan that had suddenly whipped out of her sleeve.

"Lechers the both of you!" she hissed.

"Ah but Nanao-chan, you know I am only joking!" he laughed, readjusting his straw hat.

"Hmmph!"

I glanced at Raven who was standing next to another captain, this one with long white hair and a kind face. Raven just shook his head; the white haired captain only smiled.

"Uh…" I began, "Forgive me if I'm rude, but just who are you two?"

"Captain Shunsui and Captain Ukitake," spat Kurotsuchi.

"Ah, Mayuri-san, no need to sound so displeased!" called the curly haired captain I thought to be Shunsui. "Come now, we should all sit down and have a round of sake-"

"Kyoraku, I hardly think this is the time," replied the other captain, Ukitake.

"Ah right, right. Rain check then." He said, tilting his hat. "There are serious matters to deal with…. Firstly… Nanao-chan, please call for Unohana-san."

"Hai!" replied his lieutenant, flash-stepping out of sight.

"Hm… she's pretty quick," I commented.

"Of course, she is my sweet Nanao after all," chuckled Shunsui. He clapped his hands together, "Well, then…" he went over to Mayuri, "Captain Kurotsuchi, just what were you doing to those kids, eh?"

"Nothing that I wouldn't do to any of my own squad!" snapped the irked scientist. I rolled my eyes and walked up to the white haired captain. Cyan was now standing beside him, talking to Raven.

Before my _dear_ little brother turned around I smacked him in the head.

"Ooww! What the hell was that for?!" he whined.

"How many times have I told you to behave yourself!?" I growled.

"But big sis-" he began, but I whacked him again. Of course this little 'tough love' was gentle, only enough to make him remember.

"No excuses!" I snapped. I felt Ukitake's eyes on me; I turned and grinned at him.

"Hopefully Raven didn't misbehave like this-" I ruffled Cyan's hair, "dumbass."

Ukitake chuckled, "No, no, he was perfectly behaved." He smiled kindly at Raven who just hmphed.

"At least talk to me like I'm a person, _not_ an object," muttered my disgruntled comrade.

I ignored him and turned to listen in on Shunsui, Byakuya's and Kurotsuchi's conversation.

"I did nothing of the sort! It was _they_ who attacked me! And as for what happened, that's classified-"

"Is that so?" asked Shunsui in a voice that sounded evil; in fact, I even shivered from the intended malice behind it.

"W-well, it's…" He turned in mid sentence and went to one of his computers, "You see, when angered, Ayumi seems to-"

"Is there someone injured?" asked a gentle female voice.

It would seem today was full of interruptions.

We all turned to see a female captain with a braid going down her front walking into the room, a shy looking girl following. Beside them was Nanao, who readjusted her glasses and smiled.

"Ah Retsu-san you've arrived~!" sung Shunsui, "Yes, these two kids here…" He jerked his thumb at Kurotsuchi, "Seems Mayuri here got a bit carried away with his chemistry set-"

Of course this set off the scientist, and though he tried to keep his calm, his face screwed up in rage. I smirked at his hand which was twitching like it was going to go for his sword.

"Hmm…" the female captain kneeled beside Grimmjow and Hara, "The damage done to both is quite severe…" She stood up and turned to stare at Kurotsuchi, "I am taking them, if it is alright with you, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

The scientist literally froze with fear, his eyes wide.

This new captain was scarier than Shunsui!

"F-fine… Take them if you wish, Captain Unohana." He finally stammered.

Unohana smiled and turned to the shy looking girl behind her. "Kotane-san, please call for two stretchers…"

"Hai!" and with that Kotane ran off to fetch them.

"I am going to report to the General Commander. Renji, watch over Erantine-san."

"H-hai." Replied Renji. I turned to look at him; his voice sounded almost distraught. He was standing next to Hara, looking down at her with a tortured expression.

I walked over to him, leaving my brother and Raven staring.

"Oi," I muttered softly, patting his arm. "She'll be fine. That Hara is made of some tough stuff, if you didn't know."

He nodded, but didn't answer.

"Coming through!" cried a multitude of voices. I jumped back as four shinigami ran up to Hara and Grimmjow with stretchers, before quickly picking up the two and running off.

"Tch, now that that's over, let's get outta here." I said. I turned to Shunsui, "Uh, Shunsui-taicho, you still up for that round a' sake? I sure could use a drink."

A huge grin broke across the curly haired captain's face. "Ah, I like this girl!"

I grinned and turned to Renji, grabbing the hem of his sleeve and dragging him along. "Oi, come on Renji!"


	12. Chapter 12: IMPORTANT NOTE

Uh ok guys, so you're wondering why I haven't had any updates whatsoever, ne?

well...

for starters, my laptop (from which the chapters come from) is messed up and at the best buy to be fixed... (it's been there for days)

I don't know what condition it will be in when it gets back, (but I do have a flash drive with everything on it up to like a few chaps ago), or if it will even work. *winces*

Yeah... it sucks, alot.

Anyway, I wanted to post this so you guys didn't think I had disappeared or forgotten about ya.

So please wait for me, k?

As soon as I can I will type my fingers off on meh fics.

-jya-ne, Okami.


	13. Chapter 13: Welcoming Party?

Ahahaha! I have returned!!!! (victory dance much needed lol)

Firstly let me thank everyone for being patient with the LONG wait TT____TT I felt bad, I really did. Anyway, my original laptop is broken and no longer usable, so I had to wait and get a new one. Now that was only the first part of why it took so long to get back into the swing of things. The second reason is because someone in my immediate family (who was very close to me) passed away, and well I think you can understand ^^;;

But I'm back now! Yay!

Gomen-ne if this chap's not too great... It's hard to get back into the swing of things when deprived of writting and inspiration (watching anime and reading manga helps keep me in the swing)

I'ma treat everyone to a long chapter tho! It's like 7 pages on my MW (word), so yosh to that! K, I'm going to shut up now... (it's hard to hold back enthusiasm XD)

AltairLover: lol here ya go ^^

cheeky half-demon: I'm glad you like the new pairing^^ I just hope everyone else approves too :)

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: Yup, Cyan gets in trouble like that ALL the time...it's in his nature. Also, I had to do it for my onee-chan...she likes him (I did a drawing of him for her) And to answer your other review (about the updating thing) I know lol. I happen to have reviewed one of your works *grin*

Alright everyone, enjoy!

* * *

***Chapter 11***

*Hara's POV*

_Where am I?_ I thought as I lay on my stomach. It was dark, and I couldn't see a single thing. My whole body tingled; everything was numb, which I was glad, because I could sense by the tingling that I had been in some serious pain.

I moved my right hand in front of my face, examining the extent of what I thought to be some sort of sedation or pain killer. My hand moved fluidly through the air, even though I couldn't see it in the pitch black.

_Ah, okay, not numb, but I've been given some sort of heavy pain killer then… But who gave it to me?_

_And furthermore, where in the _hell_ am I?!_

The last thing I remembered was Kurotsuchi putting those wedge things on my head, followed by a strong sense of being in intense pain…

_"Hara!"_

Someone had been screaming my name…

Someone had pulled me out of the blood tinted haze, the same someone that had pressed his lips to my forehead in relief.

"Grimmjow-!?" I gasped aloud, my voice hoarse and raw. My throat hurt, and I could taste blood.

_Hm…well that's not too good, but I have to make sure the rest of me works too… As well as find out where I am…_

Carefully I tightened my muscles and pulled my knees beneath me, slowly pushing myself up into a crouching position. As I did I felt some resistance coming from my left arm; I tried tugging it away, but something was tightly clamped around it, tightly enough that my fingers were asleep.

"Wha-?!" I reached over with my free hand and felt what at first I thought to be a restraint of some kind, but it was…warm? Then it hit me; I reached out and found that there was a hand holding tight to my wrist, a hand attached to an arm, attached to-

"Grimmjow?" I whispered, moving forwards.

There was no answer.

I bit my lip in worry as I reached out and touched his chest, it was wrapped in what I figured to be bandages, and they were hot and moist. I pulled my hand back and sniffed it-

Blood.

"Grimm!" I reached out and touched his face; it too was hot, feverish.

_Crap! I need some light!_

I sat back on my heels, closing my eyes to try and clear my head. I lifted my hands upwards.

"Hakudo 33…Soukatsui!"

There was an intense flash of blue flame followed by a powerful explosion. It was only then that I realized a fatal flaw in my illuminating plan… If you blow a hole through something, such as a ceiling when you are right below it…

"Shit!" I yelled, leaping forwards to shield Grimmjow from the collapsing ceiling.

Somehow, nothing hit us. I opened an eye to see rubble around us, which made no sense because something _should_ have hit us.

Odd as that was, I shoved it to the back of my mind and instead blinked as I tried to see just where we were.

It was a large circular hospital room-or so I thought, seeing the medical tools glinting in the sunlight. It was pretty nice looking too; _pity I had to go an' blow it up, but what do they expect?!_

I looked up at where the light was streaming through, blue sky…something I thought Grimm and I wouldn't see for a while.

I tore my gaze away and looked down at Grimmjow who was beneath me.

"Ah!" I rolled off of him, afraid of making his wounds worse.

He didn't respond, and I could see that he definitely wasn't doing well. His torso was completely covered in bandages…blood soaked ones.

I felt tears burning in my eyes; _that damned Kurotsuchi did all of this!_ I thought, a knot in my throat, _he could have killed him!_

And even through all the wounds, his hand was still locked firmly around my wrist!

I pressed my lips to his hand, a few tears escaping.

"…H…ara…"

…_?!_

I opened my eyes and saw that he had turned his head and was staring at me!

"Grimm!" I slid over to his side, smiling while more tears rolled down my face.

He coughed and frowned, letting go of my wrist.

"W-why…are you crying?" he whispered, his own voice hoarse sounding. "Did someone…hurt you? If they did I'll kick their ass…"

I let out a cross between a laugh and a sob; I wanted to hug him, but I was afraid of hurting him. Instead I bent down and kissed him, running my fingers through his hair.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I fell back and stared at him.

"You're asking me if _I'm_ okay?!" I shrieked, "Don't worry about me when you're laying there all beat up like that!"

"I can worry if I friggin want to." He growled, "And stop yelling… You're giving me a headache…"

That was a good sign if he was acting like his old self, but it didn't relieve me of the worry.

He tilted his head and stared up at the hole. "I see you blew up the ceiling."

I grinned, and he chuckled, before coughing.

I leaned forwards in concern, before gasping when I saw some blood.

"Grimmjow!"

He weakly put up his hand, "I-I'm fine."

"No you're not," I snapped, "You need medical help!" I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "I'm going to go find-"

"No." he said sternly holding tight to my hand. I stared at him with a mixture of anger and surprise. "You keep saying how I'm a mess, but you're wounded too!"

"But not as badly as you!" I replied, "I'll live, but Grimm, I felt your forehead, you have a fever! And all that blood-"

"Stay here," he commanded.

"But-"

"You can heal me some, can't you?"

"I..."

He was right; I could do something for him, even if it was little. But even so, having a trained medical shinigami such as Unohana would be better…

I frowned slightly, _what is he so afraid of happening if I leave?_ _It's not like I'd be attacked…at least, I don't think would be…_

"Fine…" I said, crossing my legs and rubbing my hands together. "I don't know how much reitsu I have left at the moment, but hopefully it's enough…"

It wasn't like I didn't want to heal him, I mean, I would do it even if it only relieved a little of the pain, but I was thinking that it'd be better if Unohana took care of us. But then again, what if Grimmjow was refused treatment because he was an arrancar? I couldn't allow that.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, invoking the strongest healing spells that I knew; a second later a greenish blue light poured from my hands.

"Thanks-" began Grimm, before his eyes widened. Mine did too, a grunt of pain and surprise coming out of me as it felt all my reitsu was ripped out of me.

"Argh!" I cried, trying to pull back to break the spell. Grimmjow couldn't move away on his own yet, and he seemed paralyzed as he watched me struggle.

The last reserves of my spiritual power were sucked out of me and into him, causing me to fall forwards, my head swimming.

After a few more seconds, it stopped.

"Hara, what the hell? Are you all right?" He was as frantic as when Kurotsuchi had put the wedges on my head, which made me worry… Grimmjow wasn't the kind to freak out like that.

I coughed and rose onto my knees, "Yeah I think so…." I looked up at him, "That was-Gah!"

I doubled over as my whole body tingled with what felt like electricity. My vision bounced like a badly tuned TV, and I was vaguely aware of Grimmjow calling my name and grabbing hold of my shoulder.

Just like with the sudden ripping of my reitsu, the sensation stopped, and left me sitting there, shaken.

I looked up to see Grimmjow sitting beside me, his hand still on my shoulder. His hair was pretty much standing on end, and his eyes were wide.

"Grimm?" I reached out to touch his arm. A blue-white spark erupted from my fingertips, making the both of us gasp and jump back.

I shook my hands as if to get rid of whatever electricity was left over, hissing at the slightly numbing tingling sensation.

"You alright?" he finally asked, rubbing his arm where I had touched him.

"I think so…" I replied, before dropping my jaw in shock. His wounds…the bloody bandages…. "They're gone!" I cried suddenly.

"Huh? What is-"

"Grimm, look at your chest!"

"What the hell?!" he ripped at the bandages, now no longer red but a bright, clean white. I walked towards him, my hand out to make sure what I saw was real.

His wounds were completely gone.

All I felt under my fingers was soft, smooth skin.

"How did this…?"

A hand gently grasped mine; I looked up at Grimmjow.

"Looks like you healed me completely…somehow."

A confused smile broke across my face, "Yeah…but what was that all about? I felt like all my reitsu was ripped out of me…and then replaced by lightning…"

"Tch, lightning is a good choice of words…" he growled, examining my fingertips, "When you touched my arm I felt like I had been struck by it…" He dropped my hand and ran his hand through his hair, trying to get it to lay flat.

I was now examining my fingers, trying to figure out what the hell was happening to me. A lone little spark ran up and down my index finger, before extinguishing itself.

"It's because of that goddamned scientist!" he suddenly said, "He did something to you… Maybe with those wedge things!" I looked up to see him pacing back and forth angrily, "I'm going to f*ing cero his head off when I find him!"

I looked back down, checking the rest of me… It seemed that I had healed myself…somehow.

Well, now that the "episode" was over, I realized that I felt surprisingly…good.

I stretched my arms over my head, noting that though my body was healed, my clothes weren't.

_I'll have to snatch some new clothes..._

I glanced at Grimm; his clothes were in a worse state than my own, and after having voltage after voltage of electricity tearing through them, I wasn't too surprised.

I walked over to him; Grimmjow was standing there looking up at the sky, a slight scowl on his face.

"You alright?" I asked, wrapping my fingers around his arm. He lowered his gaze to my face.

"We need to get out of here, ya know." He growled. "The way things are going, I don't think they'll ever fully trust us… I mean, look what that teme did to you!"

I nodded and dropped my gaze, "I know…" my fingers tightened around his wrist, my mind flashing an image of only a few minutes ago, when they were all torn up. "And he hurt you too…"

I rested my forehead against his shoulder, my arms wrapping around his waist. "We need to save Hime-chan… It was wrong of us to come here…"

Grimmjow wrapped his arm around me, "Yeah, but it wasn't really our choice, was it? That damned foreign shinigami put us in this situation…"

"But…" I whispered, "It's my fault too…"

"And how do you figure that?" he asked, confused.

"I could have flat out refused to go… I mean, we could have escaped if we really wanted to, right? And…"

"You wanted to go, ne?" he asked softly. I looked up in shock, _how does he…?_ He grinned and shook his head at me, "I'm not that stupid, ya know. I could tell you wanted to come back here… It was your home once after all…"

I nodded, "Y-you're right… Even though it's pretty much filled with bad memories…"

"Tch. Then you just have to make good ones to outweigh the bad!" he said, ruffling my hair and walking towards the door. "Come on, let's get out of the hell hole."

I stared at him and didn't follow.

"Hara? You coming or-" he turned around, his eyebrow raising, "What the hell is with that look?"

A grin spread across my face, "Oh nothing, nothing." I laughed, trotting over to him. He shook his head at me and reached to open the door, but I grabbed hold of his jacket and pulled him back.

"Eh? Wha-" I leaned onto my toes and pulled him into a quick kiss, my free hand ruffling his hair.

I chuckled at his expression and opened the door.

***

*Grimmjow's POV*

_I'm not sure exactly what that was about, but…_ I smirked, tasting her lips on mine.

I walked beside her out into a dark hallway, blinking as my eyes had to adjust to darkness, again. The door shut behind us, and the dark went from black, to pitch black.

"Shi-" I grabbed onto the wall as my foot hooked on something and almost made me crash into Hara. She spun around with a gasp.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I replied, "I just can't see where I'm going… I think I tripped on something…"

"Mmm well be more careful," she replied, making me scowl at her.

"Damare!" I snapped, making her laugh.

We began walking again; this time I kept one hand against the wall in case.

"How long is this damn hallway?" I snarled after a few minutes, noting that we still hadn't found a way out.

"Like I know!" she snapped back, "I mean, it's not like I often come here, wherever here is!"

"Err… well we should have found a door or something by now, right?"

"I don't know, I-AAAAGGGGH!" in midsentence she shrieked and flew back into me, elbowing me in the ribs in the process.

"Ow!" I snapped, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I stepped on something-someone!" she cried, her body pressed tight against mine.

"Someone?" I replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah I think… Oh god… what if it's a dead body?!" She clung to what was left of my jacket, her body tense.

"If it's a dead body, then we just walk over it." I stated, pushing forwards. "Also…what the hell would a body be doing here?"

"I don't know but it's weird-"

A groan cut through our argument, making us both freeze.

"Shishishishi… No no…don't do that…ahahahaha~!"

"What the-?!" I cried as a hand locked around my ankle. I tried to pull back, and instead slammed into the wall. "Kuso! Hara make some light or something!"

"I'm trying to!" she snapped, "I-uh Hado 31 Shokkaho!"

There was a blast of red as a ball of flame flew upwards and crashed against the ceiling, illuminating what seemed to be some sort of long hallway.

"What in the hell?!" I gasped, staring down at my feet.

"Ah, it's blue-hair!" laughed a slurred female voice, her fingers wrapped around my ankle.

"Raeyah-san what are you doing down there?" asked Hara as she knelt down beside the woman.

"And why are you holding onto my ankle?" I growled, ripping my leg out of her grasp.

The foreign shinigami grinned and attempted to prop herself onto her elbow; her arm slid out from under her and she gave up and instead stared up at us.

"Well I came to visit ya and…*hic* I fell asleep down here…" she replied.

"How did you fall asleep down h-?" Hara stopped in mid sentence to wave her hand in front of her face. "Gah! You're drunk!"

"Nah," laughed Raeyah, "I only had a lil'…"

"Tch. More like a lot." I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. I nudged her side with my foot. "Oi, onna, where in the hell are we?"

"I don't remember!" she laughed, before her face turned green. "Ungh… I don't feel so good…"

"Let's go." I grumbled, stomping towards the door. Hara didn't move.

I turned around. "Oi, Hara come on, let's get the hell out of here!"

She looked from me to Raeyah, and I knew right then that I wasn't going to like what was going to happen next.

"But we can't just leave her there!" replied Hara, frowning.

"The hell we can't!" I snapped, grabbing her arm and attempting to drag her away.

Hara didn't move. "Grimmjow…" she growled.

Like I said, I _wasn't_ going to like what happened next.

A few minutes later I found myself carrying the drunken shinigami on my shoulder while Hara walked ahead, a faint smile on her lips.

_Damn her._

There was a door up ahead with light pouring through the cracks, most likely the way out, but out into what, we didn't know.

Hara reached out and tentatively started to open it; I prepared myself for the worst.

Suddenly I felt something warm dripping down my front; I looked down and then at the source.

"Gah! She's f*ing drooling on me!"

I dropped Raeyah and wiped the drool off of me, growling and cussing the whole time.

Hara chuckled and slid the door open. As soon as she did a cry went up from whoever was on the other side. On reflex I shot in front of Hara and held out my arm, knocking a black, orange and green blur backwards.

"Huh?" Hara peered over my shoulder, staring down at a shinigami with feathers- "Michika-nii!" She glomped him, knocking him further back.

"Ha-chan, I can't breathe!" gasped the shinigami as he pried himself from her grip. Obediently-and almost childishly-she let go and sat there, staring at him.

He smiled, before his eyes widened. "Wait a minute…" he looked from Hara to me, "You both are healed?!"

She nodded and I just stared, before turning and dragging Raeyah-who had passed out-into the room.

"I was so worried!" cried Yumichika, now glomping Hara.

I rolled my eyes.

"Michika-nii, where's Ikki-nii?" asked Hara as she got to her feet and stood beside me.

"Oh, he's over there," replied Yumichika, moving out of the way so we could see the room.

Our jaws fell in surprise at the scene in front of us.

We were in a large room with a few scattered hospital beds and one table. Sitting at the table was a librarian looking shinigami, and Raeyah's brother, Cyan.

They both were swaying in their seats, sake splashing out of their glasses.

"I w-won't loosh to a 'irl…" stuttered Cyan as he chugged down the rest of his glass.

"Fool," replied the woman, "You're nothing compared to that idiot…" she sluggishly nudged a snoring man in a pink kimono. "I can shtill take you…"

"Why's Ikki-nii tied up like that?" asked Hara. I turned from the drinking battle to see Ikkaku tied to a chair, his head titled backwards as he snored.

Yumichika chuckled, "Well, it seems he got so drunk he proposed to a mop… I was afraid he'd hurt someone, so I put him over there."

Hara chuckled, before becoming serious.

"So what have I missed? I mean, how'd we end up here and…why is everyone drunk?"

"And why the hell were we stuck in that room back there?" I added.

"Well," replied the shinigami, "I'm not sure what happened between you two and Kurotsuchi-taicho, but you two were brought straight here to the 4th division pretty fast…" Yumichika paused and leaned against the wall. "From what I hear, Unohana-taicho was unable to treat the both of you-"

"What?!" gasped Hara.

A slight smirk ran across his face; my eyebrow rose when he turned to look at me.

"Well, supposedly… This guy here-" he poked me, "-wouldn't let anyone near you… Anyone who tried ended up singed by a cero."

"Grimmjow!" cried Hara, in a scolding yet shocked voice.

I stared at her; I mean it wasn't like I was conscious when I did that.

Yumichika was grinning, but he let the expression fall to a more serious one.

"Now…how did you guys get healed so fast and so…well?"

I looked at Hara who shrugged as she spoke. "I did it…somehow…"

"Ha-chan…that isn't normal… I think you should speak to either Unohana-taicho or even Kurotsuchi-taicho-"

"No!" she snapped, before her eyes widened. "No…" she repeated in a softer tone, "No more scientists…no more experiments."

Yumichika stared at her but said nothing more. I could tell he was wondering what had happened in the twelfth squad, but didn't ask. And I didn't feel like indulging him.

"Tch. I need a drink," I said suddenly, walking over to the table where the woman and Cyan were now dozing, skunk-drunk. I grabbed a whole damned bottle and chugged down about half, before going over to Hara and handing it to her. Without a word she finished it, a sigh coming from her when she let it fall from her lips.

Yumichika took the empty bottle from her with a soft sigh.

"Well, I can at least give you some good news…"

We both stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"Whatever incident happened in the 12 squad has left Commander-san feeling generous… And so, seeing how it was nearly your squad at one time… He's switched you guys to "in-home-custody" in the 11th squad."

Hara was grinning ear to ear; seeing her like that made me grin too.

"That's awesome!" she cried, before going over and grabbing another sake bottle. She threw me one before popping hers open. She lifted it to us and said, "kanpai!*" before chugging it down. I just grinned and downed mine, before going over to the table and knocking Cyan out of the chair and away from me. He gave a grunt but didn't wake up, not that I cared.

I chuckled as I looked up to see Hara poking Ikkaku with the infamous mop, before running away as he woke up and attempted to attack her, tied to the chair and all.

_Well, we aren't going to stay here much longer, but at least she can have a little fun…_ I decided, popping the top of another bottle and taking a sip.

As the evening turned to night (or so I thought, glancing at a nearby window), Hara finally simmered down and sat down next to me on the floor, her head resting against my knee as she sipped her sake. Yumichika had untied Ikkaku (who was now passed out) and laid him in a far corner, before coming and sitting on the floor across from us.

I looked around the room, took a sip of sake, glanced at Hara, and then back at Yumichika. "So, this squad 11… what's the captain like?"

Hara and Yumichika were grinning at me; I frowned. "What?"

"You met him earlier Grimm," said Hara. "Back when we were at Hime's"

An image flashed in my mind of the two shinigami captains that had brought us here; I knew it couldn't be the guy who looked like he had a stick up his…

"Was he the big guy with the weird hairdo?" I asked.

They nodded.

"Tch. Is that the only reason you're grinning?" I growled, sipping sake. It wasn't like I was going to remember every shinigami I met, so what was so funny?

"No Grimm," said Hara laughing. "You're not gonna get it till you meet Zaraki-taicho, but he's-"

"Aw, you guys were having a party without me?" cut in a strangely high pitched voice.

We all turned to see a pink haired…little girl?!

"Yachiru-chan!" squealed Hara delightedly. The girl, Yachiru stared back with surprise, before grinning and running at Hara.

"Ha-chan!" she squeaked, hugging her. After a moment, she turned to stare at me. "Oooh… is your hair dyed?"

"Nani?!" I replied, staring down at her; she was so small I could have crushed her instantly.

_?!_

Suddenly I found her standing on my shoulders, her hands playing with my hair. Hara and Yumichika were all but rolling on the floor; I on the other hand, was…shall I say annoyed?

"Get the hell off of me!" I snarled, trying to grab her. All I caught was air.

"Aw, I made him mad…" she whined, standing next to Hara.

"How did you-?!" I hadn't even felt her move!

"What did you expect Yachiru-san?" asked Yumichika as he fought to stop laughing. Hara meanwhile was now rolling on the floor; I threw a cushion at her head, missed, and had it thrown back at me; I caught it.

"Yay, pillow fight!" cried Yachiru as Hara leapt at me with another cushion.

"Mwuh? What's with all the yell-OOF!" From beneath Hara and the cushion, I heard Ikkaku coming to.

"Ha got you, Baldy-san!" cried Yachiru.

"Ah no leave me alone Kusajishi-fukutaicho!" he screamed.

I looked up in surprise from Hara who was now pinned beneath me, growling playfully.

"Fukutaicho? Her?!"

"Yup!" cried the little girl, suddenly appearing on my back. "I didn't introduce myself earlier, but I'm Yachiru Kusajishi, 11th squad vice captain!"

I tried to swat her away again, but she evaded and landed in front of me.

"Ha!" cried Hara, sliding her knees to my chest and tossing me off of her, before slamming against my chest and lying there, grinning like a maniac.

"I win," she chimed, her nose brushing against mine. I grinned and was about to knock her over to show her who would really win, but the pink haired brat jumped on her back.

"Ne, Ha-chan…" the girl stared down at me smugly, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Both our eyes widened; Hara blushed scarlet. Her eyes slowly traveled upwards, to her two "brothers".

"Ah Ha-chan, we already knew that. No need to be embarrassed!" laughed Yumichika.

Hara blushed deeper, her eyes traveling back down to meet mine. She smiled and I grinned.

Yachiru meanwhile jumped off her back with a high pitched chuckle and twirled around on the floor.

Hara rolled off of me and sat upright, self-consciously tugging at her hair. Her eyes moved to Yachiru.

"Ne, Yachiru-chan… what brings you here?"

The brat put her finger to her lip in thought. "Well, Ken-chan told me to find baldy and feathers…and then bring you and the arrancar all back to the squad!" I watched in mild distaste as she practically began jumping up and down. "And Ken-chan seems really happy about you two going! I bet he wants to play!"

"_Play?"_ I mouthed to Hara silently. She grinned and got to her feet.

"Alright, well we can't disappoint him." She turned to me and put out her hand, "Come on Grimm, let's go _play_!"


	14. Chapter 14: Laundry Day

Yo! I'm sorry for the late chapter everyone! TT____TT Of course something ELSE had to go wrong at home -______-. It's settled now, but then last night, when I had planned to post, I ended up with food poisoning! why am I having such bad luck lately?! And it's a full moon...it's 'sposed to bring good luck *sniff*

anyway, I'm back now, and I'm_** trying**_ (emphasis on trying) to pull out another chapter for this week to make up for it. But I don't want to promise anything ^^;; I jinxed myself last time doing that.

Alright well, thanks for all your patience! And this chapter goes out to **Emerald Gaze** who is at home sick in bed. (hope you feel better soon!)

cheeky half-demon: thanks as always XD and I'm glad you liked.

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: Thanks XD Don't ya just love Yachiru? My fave quote of hers is from an early ep: "I wonder if Ichi-nii can do the bubbly-bubbly thing..." lmao

Emerald Gaze: ^^ glad you like it, and hope ya feel better soon!

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***Chapter 12***

*Hara's POV**

Grimm and I were about to follow Yachiru to the 11th squad when Yumichika suddenly called out-

"Wait Ha-chan, don't you think you should put something else on?"

I froze, glancing down.

"G-good idea," I muttered, seeing how my shirt was tattered beyond recognition. It was a miracle that anything was still holding together, let alone covering me.

"Mm Yachiru-chan, why don't you take Hara-chan to get some fresh clothes?" he suggested. "I think Ikkaku and I can help out Mr. Blue-Hair over there."

I snickered when Grimmjow glared at him.

"What did you call me?!" he rumbled, standing next to me.

"Isn't it that nickname Raeyah-san gave you?" he smiled, "It's very catchy."

He was about to snap something, but I whacked his chest.

"Behave while I'm gone, o-kay?"

Grimmjow rubbed the place where I hit him, scowling at me the whole time.

"Tch, whatever." He growled, which meant a sort of yes. I smiled at him before Yachiru slammed into my back, her feet pushing her into my shoulder.

"Come on Ha-chan, let's go!"

I grinned at Grimmjow, "See ya later Mr. Blue-hair," and ran away before he could attack me.

I could hear him yelling at me from outside the room, making Yachiru and I laugh.

"Alright, which way?" I asked, though I knew it'd probably be _me_ who would find the way (Yachiru had the worst sense of direction).

"That way!" she cried, pointing left down a hallway. It seemed right, so I began walking.

I hoped that Grimmjow would behave, but I knew that Ikkaku-nii and Yumichika could handle him.

We turned a few more corners, but didn't run into any people.

"Ne, Ha-chan, are you going to stay in Seritei?" asked Yachiru suddenly, as she leaned on my shoulder.

I glanced at her, inwardly wincing.

"Well, I don't know…" I replied slowly, "Grimm and I aren't really on good terms with Commander-Jii-san… And then there's the Central 46…"

She frowned. "But maybe they'll let you stay once they get to know you! I mean, there's plenty of us who could vouch for you!"

I smiled. Though she was young (at least in appearance), she wasn't oblivious nor stupid.

I reached up and ruffled her hair. "Thanks, but I don't think that'd be enough for them…"

She let out a disappointed growl, but didn't say anything more on the subject.

"Mm we're almost there, right?" I asked, peering around a corner. For some odd reason there was a large pile of bed sheets standing out beside us.

"Are you two lost?" asked a voice.

I flinched and spun around, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry If I scared you," continued the voice. It sounded like a young guy.

I moved my eyes upwards to Yachiru who was now halfway perched on my head.

"Where-" I began, but she pointed.

My eyes moved to follow where she was pointing; the pile of bed sheets.

"A-ah, hello Yachiru-fukutaicho," stuttered the bed sheets.

I stared at the sheets bewildered, (remember, I had just drunk a few rounds of sake), _talking sheets?!_

"Is that you girly-kun?" asked Yachiru.

"Y-yes, sorry about that," a dark haired boy appeared from underneath the sheets. He wore an embarrassed grin and tired eyes.

I cocked an eyebrow, not recognizing him.

He looked up at me, "Ah, you must be Ayumi-san."

"Who's askin'" I replied, grinning.

He bowed, "Yamada Hanatarou, 4th s-seat-!" The towering pile of sheets swallowed him in a flailing sea of white.

Yachiru and I laughed, before I fished the poor kid out.

"Nice to meet ya," I said, "And might I ask why you're carrying so many sheets?"

"O-oh, it's laundry day today!" he said, attempting to re-gather the sheets. "Gyaah! And I'm already late!"

I glanced at Yachiru who was watching with a smirk.

"Oi," I said, gathering up some sheets myself, "Let me give you a hand, otherwise it'll take you forever to get this done."

"Oh no, it's fine, I-I can do it. And plus, how would I repay you? I-Gyaah!" he tripped over a sheet and landed on the pile with a cry.

I grinned, "Uh-huh, all you're doing is getting yourself more tangled up… And as for payment…" I plucked at my shirt and what remained of my skirt, "Can you show me where I can get some new clothes?"

He pulled himself to his feet and smiled brightly, "S-sure, if you insist."

"I do," I said with a chuckle, and began walking down the hall.

Yachiru let out a sigh, "Ne, we're supposed to be going to see Ken-chan! Not helping out girly-kun with chores!"

"Meh, Zaraki-taich can wait. An ya know you could give us a hand…." I replied, trying not to step on the end of the sheets.

"Hmph," she replied, sliding down my back and landing on Hanatarou who was almost right behind me.

"Gyaa!" he cried; I turned to see Yachiru holding an end of a sheet which was tightly wrapped around Hanatarou. "Help!" he cried, looking at me frantically.

I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Ha, he's girly sushi now!" cried Yachiru defiantly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yachiru, leave the poor guy alone," I chuckled, before unraveling the fourth seat.

Once everything was back to normal, I went to pick up my pile of laundry, but stopped when-

"Gyaah! No! Don't eat me!!!"

I slapped my forehead.

*Grimmjow's POV*

"So where can I get clothes?" I grumbled, staring at the two shinigami.

"Come on," said Ikkaku, glancing at me from over his shoulder. I frowned, but complied.

Yumichika put a blanket over Raeyah's shoulders and then followed us, his expression calm.

I followed Ikkaku in silence, my arms crossed over my chest.

We walked down a few lone hallways before anyone spoke, and the first person to break the silence wasn't me.

"So…uh…Grimmjow," muttered Ikkaku, addressing me for the first time. "We haven't really had a chance to talk face to face before, but this seems like a good time."

I raised an eyebrow and as he stopped and turned around, surprisingly sober for someone who had been passed out for a few hours.

"We're concerned about Hara," said Yumichika.

I tilted my head to the side slightly, frowning. Concerned how? Did they have a problem with me?

"Is that right?" I answered in monotone, trying to "behave" as Hara had said.

The very idea of my needing to _behave_ made me want to roll my eyes. But I was curious to what they had to say, and to keep conversation friendly, I'd at least refrain from some of my habits.

"Yeah," said Ikkaku, crossing his arms over his chest, "First off, I've been watching you… especially around Hara-"

-_which isn't considered stalking at all._

"-and-"

"You don't trust me," I commented.

"Ye-No, that's not what I was going to say! Let me finish a friggin' sentence!" he snapped, making me grimace. "What I was going to say was that you seem to care for Hara a lot…"

I didn't respond, but it was true. I couldn't help a slight smirk that pulled at the corner of my mouth; he had almost admitted to not trusting me, which was fine-I didn't really care.

"And she trusts you completely," added Yumichika in a softer tone. "So this is why we're turning to you,"

My eyebrow rose higher; _what are they going on about?_

"So what's the deal?" I asked.

"We don't know the details on what happened between you two and Kurotsuchi, but ever since, something's not been right with Hara."

"I know," I growled reluctantly. If they weren't so close to Hara, I wouldn't have answered. I hadn't talked too much to Hara about it since we really just woke up and all, but I was worried.

Being able to heal us the way she did wasn't normal, at all. That woman who had gotten herself kidnapped, Orihime, had pretty powerful healing powers herself, but she obviously had shifted into them at a slow pace. Hara on the other hand… she hadn't been able to do that before… at least not at that magnitude.

And then there was the other stuff as well; an image flashed of Hara's face when she had tried to heal me, it was pain ridden, and then when the-what she called electricity-showed up, her eyes had gone all silver like when she was angry, only this time they were pretty much glowing, not to mention the fact that she had all but electrocuted me in the process.

"Do you know what he might have done to her?" asked Yumichika.

I snapped out of my thoughts.

"No, if I did, I would have said something." I scratched the back of my head, "But I'm finding more and more reason to cero the hell out of that clown-faced bastard."

Ikkaku smirked, but Yumichika remained expressionless.

"I've been thinking about how she healed the both of you…" he said, putting a hand under his chin as we began walking again, "And that alone is really strange. Not even Unohana-taicho could heal two people in such a short time… I talked to her about it, and she said that Hara could be in serious danger because of this sudden increase in her power. It could very well kill her…"

"Well, she seems fine right now," I snapped, "And even if something _was_ seriously wrong… Hara's strong; I don't think anything will happen. Plus, so far nothing really bad has happened."

"Tch, you're pretty stubborn," commented Ikkaku. I glared at him. "But what if you're wrong?"

I didn't answer; I didn't want to even think about it.

Thinking about it unnerved me, which also _really _pissed me off!

"_It could very well kill her…" _The very words made me clench my jaw; there was no way I'd let that happen.

But why did it have to happen anyway? You think we could get a break or something, but _no, _more shit had to happen.

This was starting to give me a headache, and I was getting tired of talking to them.

I let out a growl, "Oi, can you just give me my damn clothes already?"

The two shinigami stared at me in surprise, before Ikkaku opened a door that was to the left.

"In there," he muttered.

I pushed past him into the room; there were cubbies full of folded shihakusho with labels for each size.

_Great. I have to wear their outfit?!_

I grumbled cuss words under my breath as I pulled out the right size and began putting it on.

A memory came back to me as I changed; back when Hara and I had first really met.

Her changing into one of the Las Noches outfits, and my advance on her…

Back then, I had thought she would hate me for that kiss, but I couldn't help it.

"Kuso," I snarled, slamming my fist against the cubby.

Things just had to go from bad to worse, didn't they?


	15. Chapter 15: Shocking Discovery

***Chapter 13***

*Hara's POV*

"Does it fit?" called out Hanatarou from the other side of the door.

"Give me a min," I replied, trying to tie my obi the way I used to.

We were now past setting up the laundry and Yachiru attempting to eat poor Hanatarou; that done, I was now finally donning fresh clothes.

It had been a long time since I had worn a shinigami shihakusho; the last time was close to the time when Zuro had supposedly "died".

Thinking of my brother left a bitter taste in my mouth and a confused sensation in the pit of my stomach.

He wasn't dead, but was he really still my brother?

I could see his face, no longer cunning and carefree, but full of spite and darkness. And working for Aizen! Aizen who was attempting to destroy Soul Society and therefore all that Zuro himself had loved!

_How could he?!_

I hung my head, feeling a huge wave of emotion come over me.

And thinking about Aizen made me think of our upcoming mission; rescue Orihime and kick Aizen's ass.

How we were going to successfully pull either of those things off was beyond me, but we had to try.

I wouldn't leave poor Hime-chan to suffer a horrible fate because of Aizen.

He would pay for that, and more.

And then there was facing my brother…

I shuddered at the thought, wishing Grimmjow was beside me. He always could comfort me, and I felt safe at his side.

I growled when I felt tears threatening, my throat constricting.

"Ne, Ha-chan are you okay?" asked a voice suddenly.

"Kyaa!!" I screamed, falling backwards against the dressing room door.

A high pitched giggle answered me as I sat up.

"Yachiru you scared me half to death!" I gasped, staring at the pink haired girl.

"Sorry," she smiled, "You were just taking too long!"

I rubbed my shoulder, "Oww… I think I'm gonna have a bruise,"

I went to peek at my skin to see if I would or not, but when I did, I saw something that made me freeze.

_What's this!?_

"What's wrong Ha-chan?" asked Yachiru coming closer.

I glanced at her, "Uh nothing, I just am going to have a big bruise, that's all." I lied.

She laughed, "Well it's your fault for getting scared." She spun around on one foot, "Are you done? Can we go now?"

I pulled my shihakusho upwards against my neck, hoping no one would notice anything.

"Alright, let's go." I replied, forcing my voice not to sound as shaky as I felt.

I needed to find Grimmjow, now.

"Ah, so it fit?" asked Hanatarou.

I skidded to a stop and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah, thanks. I've got to go now, so I'll catch you later, alright?"

Before he could answer I shot off, Yachiru perched on my shoulders again.

"Yay! Ha-chan's excited to go see Ken-chan!"

_I wish that was true, _I thought.

I pushed myself into nearly using shunpo, my feet blurs across the floor. Yachiru hung on like it was nothing, which I knew was only because of Zaraki-taich; when he was on the hunt, there was no stopping him.

And it was the same for me at the moment, as I tore through the fourth division in search of my blue haired arrancar and two adopted brothers.

I skidded around a corner and ran full out, leaping over a few objects that got in my way. The whole time Yachiru just clung to me, grinning happily.

I turned another corner and saw them.

Thing was, they were only feet away from us when I turned.

"Aaahhh!" we all screamed in unison as I tried and failed at stopping.

CRASH!

A few seconds later I found myself sitting on someone's stomach, someone I was _very_ glad to see.

"Gah, would ya get off me?!" snarled Grimmjow, sitting up and making me fall backwards. "What the hell were you running like that for?"

"You'd think she was on fire or something," added Ikkaku.

I smiled despite the shaky fear I felt, "Sorry Mr. Blue-hair."

"Don't call me that!" he snarled.

I grinned, before I noticed what he was wearing, my eyes widening.

He was wearing the shinigami uniform, and it looked amazing on him!

Grimm had removed the sleeves, and wore the top where it was loose enough to show most of his chest.

"Well, since we're here, now we can all go to the squad, ne?" asked Yumichika.

"Yay! Come on, let's go!" cried Yachiru, bouncing as always.

Grimmjow got to his feet and held out his hand to help me up; I took it.

Ikkaku, Yumichika and Yachiru led the way, us following.

I kept glancing at Grimmjow, taking in his new outfit. Who knew he could look so good in black?

When Grimm was sure he was out of earshot, he leaned in towards me.

"Oi, you've got a little drool on your lip there… "

"Huh?" I reached up and touched my lips; they were dry. That meant he was making fun of me!

I slapped his arm, "Jerk!"

He chuckled in reply, ruffling my hair.

We walked for a few minutes, before I said anything about what I discovered.

"Hey Grimm?" I whispered quietly.

He glanced at me, "Nani?"

"There's something I need to tell you…" my voice was serious, no humor whatsoever.

Immediately his eyes became narrowed and suspicious.

"Something's happening to me… I think there's something wrong with me."

Slowly I peeled my collar away to show him my shoulder; his eyes widened.

"What..is that?"

*Raeyah's POV*

"Ungh… my head…." I groaned, sitting up.

I had a splitting hangover, thanks to the contest I had myself pulled into. _And they out drank me dammit!_ I thought, remembering how I had lost the contest. _Even my own brother beat me…_

Oh yes, where is my brother?

I glanced around the room, smirking when I found him curled up beneath the table. Nanao was lying between him and her captain, finally falling to the drink as well.

Most of everybody was here, except…

_Where'd Stripes run off to? _And he wasn't the only one missing, _Ikkaku and Yumichika are gone too…but where?_

Suddenly I remembered, where I was sitting was _not _the place I had first passed out. That meant someone moved me, so who…?

An image of Grimmjow and Hara flashed in my mind, as well as hearing Grimmjow complain about me being drunk.

_They're awake?!_ I thought with surprise, _and wait…how the hell were they walking around?!_

Their wounds were pretty damn bad, and seeing how the 4th squad captain couldn't heal them, thanks to a certain arrancar, they should have been stuck in bed for a week at least.

A growl issued from me as I staggered to my feet and moved towards the door.

Each step made my head throb, but each throb lessened the further I went.

It took me five minutes to get to the door, but when I got there, I was perfectly normal again.

My mind was already flying through possible reasons for why those two were walking around unscathed, and the only thing that made sense was that something had indeed gone seriously wrong.

"Kuso!" I snarled, slamming my fist against the door frame. _This is happening too fast!_

I was going to have to contact Gen. Commander Valcon asap, and he wasn't going to like what I was going to tell him one bit.

Right as I reached to open the door and walk out, it suddenly slid open, making me jump back into a defensive pose on instinct.

"Huh? Raeyah-san? What are you…doing?"

It was Renji.


	16. Chapter 16: ConfrontationRevelation

Yo! ^^ I feel on a roll this week, so I don't think there'll be any late chaps. I went back and reread some things, as well as checked my plot/notes document (yes, I do have one) and now know EXACTLY what's gonna happen. XD And this chapter is the starting point. I think I mentioned a BIG PLOT for either this one or my Kensei fic, but both of them have some MAJOR plottage coming your way soon. You'll see soon enough, but I'm not tellin what it is!

Mmm that said, I'm totally loving the new Bleach Beat Collections songs I just got ^w^

cheeky half-demon: ^^ here ya go.

Emerald Gaze: lol yesh, I will keep on writing. XD

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***Chapter 14***

"What am I doing?" I replied, "Nothing, but you did just scare the hell outta me."

Renji smirked.

"Sorry, I just heard a noise and came to see what it was."

"Oh," I replied, walking past him out onto the porch. I spun around, "Do you know where Hara and Grimmjow went off to?"

Renji's eyes went wide. "What do you mean "went off too?" Are they awake?!"

I inwardly winced at his eagerness to see Hara, but kept myself looking normal. I shrugged, "Well, they're not here. Neither is Ikkaku or Yumichika…"

"Ah, then they must have been taken to the 11th squad," he muttered, "I heard they were getting moved because of what happened in the 12th squad."

"I see," I muttered, walking to the end of the porch. Renji came and stood beside me.

"H-hey Raeyah-san, is something wrong? You seem…distracted."

"Mm-what?" I turned to look at him.

He was right, I _was_ distracted. If my intuition was right, what Valcon had feared happening was coming about, and fast. I would have to do something, soon.

"Is it the hangover?" he asked, "Because you're really not acting your usual lively self."

I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head. "Sorry, I'm just thinking about something. I'm fine though, no headache or anything."

He grinned back, before looking out across the 4th squad grounds. I looked too, my mind falling straight back into deep thought. Even still, I was very aware of Renji beside me, aware enough that my stomach was on the verge of back flips.

"So any new news on that friend of yours, Inoe?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"No, and General Commander-san still seems not to want to do anything," he grumbled back.

"Tch. Leavin' her to her fate then? That's pretty messed up."

I didn't even know the girl, but I felt bad for her. From what I had gathered, she was pretty important and a close friend. Hara even wanted to go after her, even though I knew from my report that she hadn't been staying there for too long.

"If she were part of my squad, I'd have gone after her right off, regardless." I added suddenly, "Ah! I'm really just like Valcon said!" I slapped my forehead, picturing my cheerful (and slightly goofy) commander. "_You're too impulsive, jumping headfirst into a situation without thinking!"_ I mimicked, giving a horrible imitation of his voice.

Renji chuckled, grinning. I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"Sorry, I got carried away there…." I laughed.

He shook his head, "It's fine."

We stood out there for a few minutes in silence, the only sound the wind.

"Ne, Renji," I said, turning to him suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Since you're my "escort", can you take me over to the 11th squad? I need to talk to Hara."

"Sure," he replied, "I actually was going to head over there to talk to her myself,"

I raised an eyebrow, "O-oh?" _why?_ I thought.

"Yeah. But before we go over there, I need to make sure Kuchiki-taicho knows." He said.

"That's fine," I replied, wondering why he had to check in with his captain about a quick visit to another squad. It didn't seem normal, and from what I knew of his captain, Mr. Stuck-Up-Ice-King, he probably wouldn't care. So why…?

"Oi space cadet, you coming or what?" called out Renji. I looked up to see him already quite a distance away.

"Alright, I'm coming!" I cried, leaping over to him. "And don't call me space cadet!"

Renji just laughed and led me on.

*Grimmjow's POV*

If I wasn't worried before, I sure in the hell was now.

And Hara seemed worried too, more so than earlier when she healed us.

_Kuso,_ I thought, slapping my forehead. _What the hell is going on?_

I remembered what she had shown me; a strange golden marking that spider webbed out from her shoulder. It was as if she had a tattoo, but I knew that there wasn't a single tattoo on her body!

Suddenly a hand squeezed mine; I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Calm down," whispered Hara as she leaned towards me.

I stared at her indignantly.

"_Calm down?!_" I hissed, "You're telling me that?! How can I be calm when you-"

She squeezed my hand and gave me a look that made me stop in midsentence. Her expression was sad, but as strong and defiant as ever.

Hara glanced at Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"We'll talk about this when were alone… I don't want anyone knowing until I have a handle on this."

I let out a growl, but didn't argue.

_Have a handle on this?! We don't even know what the hell it is!_

We continued walking; Hara let go of my hand and moved closer to my side, linking her arm with mine.

"I don't like it," I whispered to her, "Like I said earlier, that scientist did something to you."

She had been perfectly fine before, up until he got his filthy hands on her. _And I swear… If I see him, I'm going to kill him._

I thought she was going to argue back, but instead she nodded quietly.

I frowned and was about to speak when-

"Oh, what are you two whispering about?" sang a high pitched voice.

My jaw clenched in irritance as I glanced behind us to see the pink haired girl, Yachiru.

"Nothing," said Hara, smiling slightly.

The girl didn't seem to believe it, but she didn't push it. Instead, she jumped on me.

"Get the _hell_ off of me, now!" I snarled, reaching up to grab her. The girl only laughed and dodged, using my hair as hand holds.

Did Hara help me? _No._ She just stood there and watched, grinning like a maniac.

"If I had my zanpakuto I'd-" I was swatting at my back and shoulders, but she seemed to be made of air as nothing seemed to hit her.

"What the hell took you all so long?" growled out a voice.

The pink haired girl bounced off of my shoulders and went running towards the sound.

"Ken-chan, I brought Ha-chan and Blue-kun!"

"Eh? They're healed?" replied the gruff voice.

I glanced at Hara as she reached up and straightened the collar of my shihakusho; she was still grinning.

"Ya could'a helped me," I accused, frowning.

"Nah, you looked like you were having fun," she laughed before turning to stare at the owner of the voice. "Hey there, Zaraki-taicho, it's been a while."

"Tch, it's been a _long_ while, Ayumi," he said, coming towards us.

I had seen this shinigami before, but his size still surprised me. I think the only person I knew (arrancar, shinigami, or whatever) who could match him in height was probably Nnoitra. And he had to have the oddest hair-do going too.

"So this is your arrancar, huh?" he asked Hara, before turning to stare at me.

I raised an eyebrow; _her arrancar? What does he think I am, her pet?_

"You strong?" he asked, looking me over.

"Are you?" I asked back.

Hara, Ikkaku and Yumichika all chuckled.

"Hmm… sounds like we need to test it out…" he suggested.

I grinned, "I agree."

It had been a while since I was in a good battle, and this guy looked like he was bloodthirsty, just like me.

"Not right now though!" cried Hara, jumping in between us as if to stop us.

"Why not?" asked the captain.

"Because we just healed up, and-" her stomach just _had_ to growl at that moment. She smiled with slight embarrassment, "I'm starving!"

The captain laughed, "Ha, you haven't change much at all. Alright come on, I'll feed ya."

Hara was grinning from ear to ear, before she grabbed my hand and dragged me after the Captain.

*Raeyah's POV*

Renji led me into Byakuya's conference room, where the said captain sat waiting.

I turned to stare when Renji closed the door; I thought we'd be here for only a few minutes max.

He smiled nervously at me when he turned around.

My eyes narrowed.

"Okay, something tells me there something going on here…" I turned to Byakuya, "And that something also tells me you've got a bone to pick with me."

Byakuya nodded. I turned to Renji, "Why'd you lie about coming here?"

"Because I told him to," said Byakuya.

I turned back around to face him, my arms crossing over my chest. I was a bit annoyed, but not with Renji.

"Is that so?" I plopped down onto a cushion.

Byakuya stared at me, eyes cold as ever. "Yes."

Renji came and sat near me, still looking nervous.

"Erantine-san, I wanted to ask you something," said Byakuya. I raised my eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"I wanted to ask you what you knew of "_Nikutaika no Kami._" He said in a low voice, as if not wanting others to hear. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Renji stiffen, but the words meant nothing to me.

"Uh," I smiled, "Remember I'm not Japanese? You'll have ta be a lot clearer than that."

I could see Renji fighting a smirk. Byakuya on the other hand was normal, which didn't surprise me.

"_Nikutaika no Kami…_ it means 'living incarnations of the gods'."

_?! How does he-_

I fought to keep my composure steady, but the captain had shaken me quite a bit.

I swallowed, "Why do you ask?"

"I ask because I believe that is one of the real reasons you were sent here, am I correct?"

"And just what makes you think that?" I asked with slight anger; I had been driven into a corner, or so it felt.

_Damn it…_ I thought.


	17. Chapter 17: Grimmjow's Anger

Hey, so chap 15's up! Yay!!! I made myself stay up till 1:30 just to finish it off, and *cough* i think I'm getting sick... =____=

anyway, enjoy the chap! *crawls away and passes out on bed*

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: lol it's funny you'd mention that... XD ask and you shall receive! (I actually had done this a while back) **Here's a pic of Grimm in his shinigami clothes!** (bolded for anyone who would normaly skip over the review answers ^^;)[I have to put spaces, otherwise the link doesn't want to show up]

http: // shadowtigerkitten .deviantart .com/ art /Grimm-x-OC-fic-spoiler-colored-116882311

cheeky half-demon: your wait is over for this week! XD enjoy

I also have other artwork on there, so feel free to browse my gallery if you haven't already!

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*Chapter15*

*Hara's POV*

"This is good!" I cried, taking a bite of food as I sat cross legged on the floor in Zaraki-taicho's room. Grimmjow glanced at me, and I tried to ignore the look he gave me.

_As if I need reminding,_ I thought, _I mean, it's my body that's got the funny mark on it!_

"Ah, I'm glad you like it Asura-san," smiled a nervous looking middle aged man.

"Maki-maki cooks real good!" cried Yachiru as she lounged near Zaraki-taich's feet.

I tilted my head at the nickname; it suddenly clicked. "Ah! I remember you now!" I cried, pointing a chopstick at him.

"Tch, took you long enough… don't you remember when you "accidently" switched the ingredients in the kitchen?" called out Ikkaku as he lay near the door, sipping sake.

"Don't forget, she also set his hair on fire…" muttered Yumichika.

All eyes were on me; I grinned and shrugged.

"I was a kid, it was to be expected…"

"Well you're no kid now," grumbled Zaraki-taicho, a grin spreading across his face, "You've got to have gotten stronger, eh? Enough so to try and take me on?"

"Try?" I replied, my mouth full of rice, "I don't think so Zaraki-taich… I'd take you on no problem!"

He laughed, chugging down his sake. "That's what I want to hear, Asura. But I want to fight your arrancar friend first,"

I glanced at Grimmjow to see him eyeing the captain thoughtfully, a grin on his face.

"Tch, bring it. I'll fight ya whenever you're ready," he replied, putting down his bowl.

"How about tomorrow?" I suggested, resisting the temptation to lean against Grimm who was right beside me. I grinned and looked at the two battle hungry men, "We could do some tag teaming…"

"Sounds good to me," they said in unison. I laughed, before turning to Ikkaku.

"You'll fight too, right Ikki-nii?"

"D-don't call me that!" he shouted, almost standing up.

"Ikki? Is that your nickname, badly?" asked Yachiru, staring at him.

I stuck my tongue out at him when he gave me a death glare, before leaning back with a sigh.

I was full and happy, pretty much ready to just curl up and go to sleep right then and there.

_So…comfy…I could just…_

"Oi, don't fall asleep!" hissed Grimm, poking me in the side.

"Eh?" I sat upright, my head spinning. I had started to doze off.

I looked around; the room had gotten darker, and only Zaraki-taich, and Ikki-nii were left. Yachiru, Yumichika and Maki-maki had gone.

I glared enviously at Ikkaku who was snoring blissfully in a corner, probably drunk.

"Tch, you should go to bed," grumbled Zaraki-taich as he stared down at me.

I yawned and stretched my arms over my head, "Sorry, it's been a long…well a long week I should say," I laughed.

"Hm, well you'd better get rested enough to fight full out tomorrow. I want a good battle."

I grinned and got to my feet; Grimmjow did as well, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Your guy's rooms are through that hallway, it's the open door on your…left, yeah." Said the captain, pointing down a dark hallway, "Night,"

I watched him disappear into his quarters, before I turned around and followed Grimm down the hallway.

It was quiet, and I had a feeling that we were probably the only people on that side of the building.

The open door caught my eye, and I pushed past Grimmjow so I could check it out.

"Ah, this is much nicer than that cell…" I muttered, running and jumping onto the soft mattress on the floor.

The room was like most squad member rooms in the Gotei 13, large, complete with a mattress, blanket, dresser and closet. It reminded me of how our apartment looked before we bought all that stuff for it.

Grimmjow slid the door shut and stood in front of it, his eyes on me.

"How much longer are you going to make me pretend that everything's okay?" he growled, his eyes glinting in the semi-light.

I frowned, my light mood melting away.

"I didn't make you…I asked you to," I replied softly.

He made a sound but didn't say anything as he came towards me, his expression more serious than I had seen before.

"Hara, I don't like this. And I don't want to keep my peace about it any longer," he said, standing in front of me.

"Nothing's wrong," I replied, feeling cornered. "I'm fine-"

"Fine?" he snapped, "You call that fine?" He pointed at my shoulder; consciously I pulled my shihakusho higher up my neck.

"It's not hurting me, or doing anything! It could just be some weird thing-"

"Stop making excuses!" he cried, his voice almost rising to a shout. "Goddammit Hara, this isn't normal!"

"Define normal," I muttered, looking away.

Suddenly I was pushed backwards onto the mattress, his hands pinning my wrists to the bed.

"Stop playing games! I'm serious!"

His face was inches from mine, his expression furious.

"I'm not playing games," I replied, staring up at him, "Why are you getting so angry with me? It's my body, so I'd know if something was wrong-"

"Bullshit!" he snarled, "You call what happened earlier, normal?! Healing the both of us like you did was near impossible!"

"But it happened, and I'm _fine_!" I snapped, trying to pull myself out from under him. He didn't let go.

"And if you're not?"

I didn't answer.

"Tch." Grimmjow pulled back, finally letting go of my wrists.

I sat up, rubbing my hands and looking at the floor. I bit my lip; this was our first real argument.

"Why are you acting like this is no big deal?" he asked, turning to face me. "Like you don't care?"

"I do care!" I snapped back, "But this isn't a big deal; how many times must I say it, _I'm fine_!"

Grimm let out a growl, his fist clenching and unclenching as he went to the wall and punched it; I flinched slightly in surprise.

I waited for him to say something, but he didn't. He didn't move, only stood there with his fist against the wall, leaving me sitting there staring at him.

I wrapped my arms around my middle, biting my lip harder.

_There's nothing wrong with me!_ I thought, _just some little quirk from Kurotsuchi…_

I let my hand slide up and tear my collar back, so I could see my shoulder.

A strange gold colored ring encircled it, and lines spider webbed from it stretching outwards before connecting to a fainter ring.

I gasped lightly and touched it, trying to figure out what it was. My skin felt the same as it always did; the marking didn't feel any different at all.

Even so, I had to admit it wasn't normal, but it wasn't bad either…was it?

My eyes traveled over to Grimm, who still hadn't moved. A pang of guilt washed through me; he was obviously really upset with me, and it was only because he was worried.

I let my hands fall into my lap with a sigh; I didn't want to think too much about what was happening to me. I could feel in the back of my mind a dark void filled with fear and anxiety, and I really didn't want to delve into it at the moment.

But even if I tried not to think about it, I still felt afraid. I prayed to whatever might hear me that nothing bad would happen, that this thing, whatever it was, would fade away.

_But what if it doesn't?_ I thought, hugging my ribs.

My emotions rose over me like an ocean wave, and I felt a knot in my throat.

I looked up at Grimmjow, before leaping to my feet and walking towards him.

He didn't turn around, and I could feel his anger radiating off of him in waves.

Slowly I reached up and grabbed the upper part of his arm, pulling him so he'd turn around and face me. I heard him grunt lightly in surprise as I hugged him tightly, my face burying itself in his chest.

"I…I'm sorry," I muttered, "I…I just don't know how I'm supposed to deal with this…"

He reached up and ruffled my hair. "You're such an idiot," he growled, "And you piss me off, ya know that?!"

My eyes widened when he pushed me back away from him.

"You think that hugging me and apologizing is going to cover it? That I'm just going to forget about this?" He snapped, pushing past me and sitting on the edge of the bed. "You must think me some sort of dumbass if you think I'll just buy that."

"No, I just-" I began, but he stopped me.

"I was told that by the way you healed us, at this rate, it could fucking kill you!" he shouted, standing up and coming towards me. "You hear me? You could die Hara!"

I found that I was against the wall, and he had blocked off any escape.

I bit my lip again, trying not to let the tears fall, but they did anyway. He was staring down at me with a mixture of rage and pain, and it hurt me to see it.

I started to apologize, but his lip curled up in a snarl, silencing me.

"What do you want me to say, damn it?!" I cried, feeling my own temper rising. "What am I supposed to say?!"

"That you won't act like you don't give a shit about your life!" he shouted back at me, "Because I fucking do, alright!?"

My eyes widened as he leaned in and rested his forehead on my shoulder, his hands holding onto my wrists.

"I just don't want to lose you, damn it," he growled in my ear, "I can't."

I wrenched one of my hands free and put it against his cheek, pushing him back until we were staring at each other eye to eye.

"You won't," I said, my other hand entwining fingers with his, "I promise."

"You'd better not," he muttered, kissing my forehead before turning around.

I wiped at my face as he threw off his shihakusho and leapt onto the bed, his hands behind his head.

"Let's go to bed now," he muttered quietly, "I want to be rested for my fight tomorrow…"

I smiled despite the lingering upset I still felt. "Why, so I can beat you up?" I teased, pulling off my haori so I was wearing the lighter white one.

"Tch, come and say it to my face," he growled, grinning.

I stuck my tongue out at him, before leaping on his stomach, my legs straddling his sides.

Grimmjow winced slightly from my landing, before leaning up and crashing his lips against mine until I was dazed. Then, before I could do a thing, he knocked me off of him and pinned me down, his nose touching mine.

I knew my cheeks were red, but I grinned up at him nonetheless.

He grinned back, nuzzling my neck, before he rolled off of me and onto his back.

"Go to sleep," he laughed.

I rolled over until I was laying with my arm around his waist, my cheek resting against his chest.

"Fine," I grumbled, before laughing softly.


	18. Chapter 18: Tomorrow

Hey! So here's 16! And forgive me for any fluffiness that may occur...... i was in a good mood ^^

cheeky half-demon: ^^ thanks

o.o

only one review?!

WHERE IS EVERYONE?! TT^TT

AND SERIOUSLY, YOU GUYS WHO ONLY FAVE... At least leave ONE review... I mean, it's not too much to ask for, is it? I'll start saying names! I'll go to the list!

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*Chapter 16*

*Raeyah's POV*

"I don't have ta tell you a thing," I growled for the tenth time. "It's none of your business, and it's classified anyway, so back off, would ya?"

Byakuya stared coldly at me, equally as frustrated as I was. Renji meanwhile just watched the two of us going at it, neither willing to back down.

Suddenly I let out a growl and sat back, crossing my legs under me.

"You're stubborn, damn it." I grumbled. We had been here all evening, and it was getting late. My visit to Hara was going to have to be put off till tomorrow.

"You know, if you plan on making me sit in here for so long, you could at least feed me… I'm famished." I added. My eyes went to Renji who looked like he fully agreed; poor guy, his stomach had been growling for the last hour and a half.

"Hn. yes it does seem that this has gone on for long enough…" stated Byakuya, "But I have other reasons for talking with you."

_Finally!_ I mentally screamed.

"Alright, well what do you want now?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

He frowned at my rudeness. "It's not what I want, but what needs to be done. I believe you know of Inoe Orihime?"

I nodded, my eyebrow rising.

"There is a small reconnaissance team that will enter Hueco Mundo and retrieve the traitor Inoe. My lieutenant and my younger sister will be the first to depart." He paused, his eyes flashing over my face as if to read my reaction.

I glanced at Renji who gave me the slightest nod.

Byakuya continued. "This request is not mine, but the General Commander's. He asks you to lead the team into Hueco Mundo."

I did a spit-take.

"Wait, what?! Me?"

He ignored my outburst and continued. "General Commander Yamamoto-san has spoken with your Commander Valcon-san, and both have agreed that you are to do as such. Other than Abarai and Rukia, Ayumi and the arrancar are to accompany you as well, under your strict supervision."

I stared at him. "W-why me though? I mean, supposedly you guys don't trust us, let alone me!"

"It's neither my decision nor orders. This came from both General Commanders." He replied, a bit irritated with the accusation I just made.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'll do it, don't get me wrong, but something just feels off here." My eyes narrowed, "Did something unexpected happen with that Aizen guy?"

"I wouldn't know," he replied smoothly. I knew that was probably all I could get out of him.

I put up my hand, "Alright, I get it. Well, when is this little team supposed to leave?"

"Tomorrow."

I think I fell over.

"W-what?! You suddenly spring this on me and want me to be ready by tomorrow?!" I shrieked, staring at him.

I swear I thought he smirked a little.

"Yes,"

A growl game out of me as I got to my feet,_ you bastard…_ I thought furiously, though I was pleased at the same time.

"Can I leave now?" I asked, not waiting for his reply and going to the door. I put up my hand in a gesture of goodbye and almost ran outside.

Once I was far out of earshot I doubled over, laughing my head off. It was just too funny! First Mr. Ice King scares me half to death by trying to get me to give him info on something he didn't need to know, and then puts me in the perfect spot for dealing with my mission! It was just too perfect!

When my laughter finally died off, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I sat bolt upright, wiping away tears. My head swiveled towards the watcher's direction.

"U-uh…" I muttered, staring. Renji stared back at me.

"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

I got to my feet, my hands trying to pull my hair out of my face.

"Me? I'm fine…" I waved my hand in a passive way, "Don't worry, I've regained my sanity."

My comment made him chuckle. I smiled back.

"So uh, you said you were hungry… do you wanna go grab a bite to eat with me-?"

I was in front of him in a second, my eyes wide. "You're going to feed me? Food?"

"W-well that's what I just said, isn't it?" he replied, slightly unnerved. I suddenly pulled back with a groan, my hands on the sides of my head.

"Uwah! I wanna go, but I have so much to do! I mean, I'm supposed to lead us in-_oh my god tomorrow!_" I was panicking, and the temptation to run in circles was almost more than I could bear. I mean, as impetuously unfazed as I usually was, the realization of what was tomorrow pretty much freaked the _hell_ outta me.

I gnawed on a fingernail as I paced back and forth. "Let's see… I gotta pack some clothes-No! I need to talk to my brother's first-but wait Hara too! And then…and then…and t-then-!"

I squeaked despite myself when I felt two large hands on my shoulders.

"Forget that for now," laughed Renji, "You're not going to think straight on an empty stomach."

Did someone turn up the heat…? Because my face had suddenly burst into a full blown blush. Renji let out a laugh, before steering me off towards a side road, his one hand on my shoulder.

_M-must stop blushing!_ I thought, mentally beating myself up, _come on….you're a friggin captain after all! Act like one!_

The whole way I couldn't even say a word, I was so conscious of Renji's hand, and also afraid of what idiotic thing I might say.

Renji meanwhile was totally normal, if not cheerful. He started talking to me about halfway to our destination, his hand finally removing itself.

"This little place we're going to… Ikkaku and some other friends of mine usually hang out there,"

"O-oh?" I replied, glancing at him. He was staring at the sky, his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, it's right outside the gates… I think you'll like it." He glanced at me and grinned.

"I bet…" I muttered, looking away quickly as my face burned even redder than before.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" he asked, misinterpreting my motion.

"Wha-? Nothing!" I replied, waving my arms for emphasis, "You just intimidate the hell out of me-" my hands slapped over my mouth and I froze on the spot. Did I really just say that?! "I um… I mean…because you're so tall! I mean, look at you!" I fibbed, hoping he'd buy it.

Renji blinked a few times, before nearly grinning ear to ear, laughing all the while.

"Like I said before… you really are weird," his hand landed on the top of my head. "Anyway we're here."

I stuck my tongue out at him before looking at the building in front of us. It was a small looking tea house, but I could tell by the laughter and yelling coming from inside, it didn't serve just tea.

"Ooh this looks fun," I sang, pulling his hand off the top of my head and walking towards the door. I heard Renji chuckle before catching up to me and leading me inside.

There were many drunken people scattered across the room, while others sat talking loudly, eating delicious smelling food. It was crowded, warm, and very loud. It reminded me of my home, and even more so of my squad.

A pang of homesickness hit my chest, causing me to wrap my arms around my chest. I didn't want to think about home, and how things were when I left, so I turned to see what Renji was doing.

But he was nowhere to be found!

I looked all around, spinning in a circle, but I couldn't spot his spiky red hair anywhere!

_D-damn it! Where'd he go!_

"Over here," said Renji suddenly, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me into a booth. I stared at him in surprise. "Sorry, I had to find a table…so I kinda disappeared…."

"Ninja," I commented, grinning. I turned and nabbed a menu, my eyes flashing over it. The further I went, the deeper my frown became.

"What's wrong?" asked Renji, noticing.

I put the menu down with a sigh of defeat. "I can speak Japanese, but I sure can't read it! Gah… are there any English versions?!"

Renji was laughing; I sunk down in the chair and rested my chin on my folded arms, my eyes closed. Suddenly I felt his body pressing against mine; I flinched and looked at him. He was sitting on my side of the booth, but because it was small, he had to put an arm almost around my shoulders, while his side was touching mine.

"You know if you just ask, I can read it for you," he laughed. I smiled.

"Okay, well, can you read it for me?"

Renji grinned, "No prob…" he ran his finger down a long line of kanji, "Let's see here…"

_BA-DUMP_

His body was so warm and so close to mine…

I could hear him reading off the menu, but I wasn't hearing what he said.

My shoulder was brushing against his ribs, and I could feel his muscles underneath.

_BA-BUMP BA-BUMP_

I remembered how he had looked topless, the tattoos that covered him, the soft skin-

"Raeyah-san?"

"Wha?" I shook myself out of my daze; _gah! Stupid me…stop being so damned conscious!_

Renji was staring down at me with concern. "I was asking what you wanted… I asked you like three times now…"

"You did? S-sorry, I was off in my thoughts there for a while…" I laughed. "Umm… I'll just get whatever you get…"

"Alright," he replied. Renji put down the menu and went back to his side of the table. I let out a sigh as I slumped onto the table, closing my eyes.

Suddenly I found Renji shaking me awake. My eyes shot open and I jumped back on reflex. "Muwhah?! What is it?"

He grinned. "Food's here,"

My eyes widened and I sat bolt upright, "Food!"

*Renji's POV*

I used to think that I had an appetite…

Raeyah scarfed down her plate faster than I did, and didn't leave one crumb. It was amazing!

She then chugged down her plate of sake, all without batting an eye. I think I had only taken a few bites, too engrossed it watching her. I was glad that she had stopped being so conscious of me; she seemed so embarrassed.

_It was cute though…_ I thought, smiling as I remembered how many shades of red she turned since we had left Kuchiki-taicho's place.

CLUNK!

A sudden sound of something hitting a plate made me look up from my dinner. My eyes widened, before I started laughing like crazy.

She had fallen asleep on her plate!

I leaned forwards to wake her up, but stopped, grinning. Maybe I'd let her sleep, god knows she was going to need it.

"You can't sleep here though…" I muttered, standing up.

Raeyah was breathing deeply, her face peaceful. My grin widened as I fished for some _kan_ for dinner and laid it on the table. _She's downright cute…_ I thought, bending down and lifting her up.

My thoughts on her had changed; I didn't see her as a captain, higher up than me and stronger, but more like how I saw Hara and or Rukia…

Raeyah let out a little moan as I hoisted her onto my shoulders, my hands gently putting her legs around my waist. It was the only way I could carry her, and it didn't seem like she was going to wake up any time soon.

I chuckled and left the restaurant, ignoring the stares I was getting.

I had been walking for a good ten minutes when she suddenly wrapped her arms tighter around my neck.

"S…stripes…" she muttered in my ear. I froze and glanced at her, but she was still asleep.

I took up walking again. "Sleep good, Raeyah-chan… tomorrow's gonna be hell…"


	19. Chapter 19: Morning Bliss

Gah... I was almost afraid I wouldn't get this out this week. *relieved sigh* But I did, AND I'm pulling things to a critical point, if you get my meaning. I've drawn out the little Seritei thing long enough, and I'm itching to go back to Hueco Mundo! So coming next week, the gang will be leaving for the sandy dark desert! Yay! Okay...that said...I'm going to go crawl into bed... I've stayed up WAY past my usual time, so I need to sleep...*falls over* zzzzz

cheeky half-demon: don't they? I didn't know how I was going to have things go between them...really I'm just playing it by ear and letting what happen happen...and well you see the result ^^ thanks as always. You're probably one of my most attentive reviewers... you've been around since the beginning pretty much, ne? so thanks to ya XD

ShioriHououEmaku: lol I know. Raeyah's such a spazz... but I've gotten so sleepy during a meal! And with so much stress on her shoulders, I don't blame her for passin' out ya know?

silentshadow55: ahaha thanks^^ I don't think ya had to wait too long, seeing how you're a noob on my review answer list ^^

* * *

*Chapter 17*

*Hara's POV*

"Oi, get the hell up!" shouted Grimmjow as he pulled my ankle.

"Five minutes…just five more minutes…" I moaned, my hands clinging to the mattress.

"How bout not?" he chuckled, tugging harder. I let out a squeak as my back popped, before kicking at his hand.

"Leave me alone!" I cried, "I just wanna sleep-AHHH!" I roared as he slipped his arm around my waist and hoisted me up onto his shoulder. "Let me go!"

"Would you shut up?" he snapped, "Are you trying to wake the whole building?"

"Yes," I replied as a matter-of-factly, "Why should they get to sleep if I can't?" He only chuckled in answer as he walked. I hung lifelessly off his shoulder, now wide awake and annoyed.

"So where the hell are you taking me anyway?" I whined, peering through his hollow hole. We were approaching the bathroom.

"Shower," he replied, "That'll wake ya up."

"I could have walked…" I grumbled as he let me down. I let out a yawn and peered into the shower. "Ah…a hot bath would be better…oh well…"

With my back turned to him I slid out of my haori, letting it crumple at my feet. I reached into the shower and turned on the water, wincing when it shot out cold.

"Hey…we've got our big fight today, don't we?" I asked. The idea of fighting with my old captain sent a spark of excitement through me; a grin moved across my face as I tested the water to see if it was warmer. He didn't answer.

"Grimm?" I called, looking over my shoulder. He wasn't in the bathroom anymore.

I grabbed a towel and walked back into the room; he was lying on the bed, his hands behind his head. His expression seemed angry, and as I drew closer, I could see his eyes were distant.

"Grimm, are you okay?"

"Go take your shower…" he muttered.

I stared at him; he was avoiding my gaze.

"Grimmjow-?"

"Go take your damned shower!" he shouted suddenly. I flinched in surprise. _What the hell's his problem?_ I didn't press any further; instead I just slammed the door and stomped over to said shower.

Something caught my eye as I walked past the bathroom mirror; I walked backwards until I was in front of it.

My eyes widened. The mark on my shoulder had grown bigger, not too much, but enough that I noticed. _Ah…Grimm saw it and got upset again… _I realized.

A new ring had appeared; it was the same as the first one, and just as gold colored. I poked it, but it felt no different from anywhere else on my body.

"Hmph…whatever…" I muttered glancing back at the bathroom door.

After I finished my shower and dried off with the towel, I ventured out into our room. Grimmjow was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to me.

_Is he going to yell at me some more?_ I thought bitterly. I didn't say anything to him as I found a fresh shihakusho and changed into it. The whole time he didn't move, didn't say anything.

I brushed my hair before walking over to him. _Errr… I don't want to fight with him…_ Last night had been hell enough. And today we were supposed to have our fight with Zaraki-taicho.

I let out a sigh and climbed onto the bed; I crawled over to him and rested against his back, my arms loosely around his neck. His hollow mask fragment was cold against my cheek, but I didn't mind.

Grimmjow glanced at me; his expression softening just a tiny bit. I tightened my grip and rested my chin on his shoulder.

"About earlier…" he grumbled.

"Don't worry about it," I replied, nuzzling against his neck. "Let's just have fun today, okay?" I let go of his neck and massaged his shoulders. He let out a groan of pleasure, his body relaxing at once. I rose onto my knees and kissed the marking beneath his eye. "I'll take that as a yes."

He grunted disappointedly when I let go and jumped off the bed. I smiled and went to the door.

"Come on, I'm hungry… I want breakfast…" I reached for the handle, only to be pulled back with a squeak. Grimmjow wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face in my neck.

"Is that all you can think about? Food?" he purred, pulling me against his chest. I grinned and leaned my head back. Our lips met and we kissed, before I pulled away and out of his grasp. I reached out and caught his wrist.

"Come on, you need to eat something too. You want to be in perfect shape for the fight, don't you?"

"Tch, I'm always in perfect shape!" he snapped. I grinned wider.

"I know."

*Raeyah's POV*

"Mwuh? Where am I?" I muttered, sitting up. I could remember being at the restaurant, eating food…Renji…but afterwards?_ How the hell did I end up back in my room?_

"Ah…" I gasped, smiling slightly. Renji. I curled up beneath the blanket, the mattress warm beneath me. _He must have carried me back…_ Shame I didn't remember any of it… I was grinning ear to ear as I hugged my pillow; I really did like that pine apple head.

Suddenly I noticed something of dire importance. The mattress was…moving?!

"Uh…seeing as your awake… could you let go of me now?" rumbled a frighteningly familiar voice.

As if out of an anime, my eyes slowly traveled downwards in horror. What I had thought to be my mattress wasn't; at least half of it wasn't. The other half was-

"RENJI?!" I shrieked, flying backwards onto the floor as my face exploded with heat.

He sat up, an embarrassed grin on his face. His cheeks were red too, but not as red as mine felt.

"H-how…w-what…you-?!" I stammered, my mouth opening and shutting like a fish. I was having trouble forming a coherent sentence, let alone a coherent thought.

_Ohgodohgodohgod! What happened last night!?_

Renji put up his hands as if reading my thoughts.

"N-nothing happened! You just fell asleep at the restaurant, so I carried you back! And when I brought you to your room and laid you down, you suddenly latched onto me!"

I scrambled to my feet and backed up into the wall. "I did what?!" I gasped.

"I tried to get away, but you pinned me down and wouldn't let go! I couldn't get away!"

I let out a howl and covered my face with my hands. "Oh god…"

I had never felt so embarrassed in my life. This was…this was-I let out another cry as I sank down into a crouch.

"It's not that bad!" cried Renji as he walked over to me. "I didn't mind, I mean it was an accident after all, right-?"

I pulled my hands away from my face and stared at him, not comprehending for a second. I tried to ignore the butterfly feeling in my stomach, before I slapped my forehead and let out a growl.

"Gah…I'm sorry…" I groaned. "It's not something to come up in usual conversation, but when I fall into a deep sleep, I don't move. I like…freeze up. You can't move me at all…I'm sorry!"

To my surprise he just sat back and started laughing at me. I stared at him.

"I take back calling you weird!" he cried between gasps, "You're a spazz!"

I opened my mouth to retort, but I suddenly remembered.

"AH! I have to get going!" I tore out of the room in a flash, my legs propelling me down the hall.

"O-oi!" Renji called after me; I could hear him chasing me, his footsteps loud on the wooden floor.

I ignored him and kept going; it was good health-wise to run full out in the morning, and it felt good to stretch my muscles.

As I turned a corner, a guy carrying a platter of food came walking out of a doorway, oblivious to my pounding footsteps, or Renji's for that matter.

I grinned and ran faster.

"You'd better duck!" I yelled, leaping into the air and using the wall to lift me higher. The guy looked up to see me flying at him. He screamed and ducked as I flew over him, using his platter as a shield for his head. He looked like that one guy who followed Renji around.

I laughed maniacally as I flew past, reaching out and grabbing some of what was on the platter. To my luck and delight, I found it to be Onigiri (rice balls.) I shoved one in my mouth and tore around another corner, startling a few more squad members.

Renji was starting to catch up, but only because I had slowed down. I glanced back at him laughing; he was scowling, his hand out to grab my shoulder.

"Would you stop dammit!" he shouted.

"Nya~!" I stuck my tongue out at him, "I have places to go, people to see, things to do~!" I called out. It was true, I needed to go talk to Hara about going to Hueco Mundo pronto, and gather up Cyan and Raven to talk to them as well. And I still needed to gather supplies.

"Gah! Raeyah-san, I mean it more than ever st-"

"Stop this at once."

Dread filled my stomach as I skidded to a stop at the sound of that cold, cold voice. I let out a nervous laugh as I found myself standing in front of Byakuya, who did not look pleased. At all.

Renji slid to a stop behind me; without looking I knew he was probably freaked out.

Byakuya stared down at me.

"There is to be no running in this manor, and especially not this early in the day. I ask you not to disturb the peace of my squad," he said, his voice icy with threat.

I frowned. He didn't scare me. But, I was staying at his place so…

"Alright, sorry. I won't do it again." I muttered, not really putting much effort into it. Byakuya looked behind me at Renji.

"Renji…I would expect you not to encourage such behavior. After being my lieutenant for so long, I would hope you remembered the rules for this squad and manor."

"H-hai Kuchiki-taicho!" he gasped, "Forgive me!"

The captain turned on his heel and walked away. _Party pooper…_ I thought. I turned to Renji; he had a hand over his eyes as he fought to keep calm.

I sighed.

"I got carried away there… Sorry for getting you in trouble Stripes," I muttered, giving him my best apologetic smile.

He removed his hand, a devious grin on his face.

"You got me in trouble…_and_ you didn't even nab me an onigiri!"

I laughed.

"Ah sorry, well, next time then," I said.

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it," he chuckled, "Now you've got to let me eat breakfast. I'm starving!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Guys are all the same, they'll eat you out of house and home cause they're always hungry!"

Renji just laughed.

*Grimmjow POV*

"Let's get going then," I said, pulling Hara after me. I was eager for the fight; my whole body ached to kick some shinigami ass, and I wasn't going to deprive myself of it.

"Someone's all anxious to fight~!" she sang, bouncing against my side. I rolled my eyes and pushed her back, a grin pulling at my lips.

"I just wish I had my sword… then I'd really do some damage!" I cried, my hand moving to where Pantera used to hang on my side. It was still an annoying adjustment not having it there; stupid high-up shinigami…

Hara chuckled. "I know what you mean, I miss my Lucien…" she let out a sigh and walked in front of me, her arms behind her head. "At least we'll be given swords to use…they might not be ours, but at least we can use some of our ability…"

I growled in answer, only half paying attention. My eyes were lingering on her shoulder, remembering the new ring I had seen this morning. Of course it worried me, which pissed me off, but yelling at her didn't help any.

But the whole thing…pissed me off! I hated it! But there was nothing I could do about it! And I hated feeling helpless… That was why I had snapped at Hara this morning; seeing the new ring had set me off. But then… instead of fighting with me like last night, she had comforted me. To think!

"Tch," I scoffed, hitting the wall as we walked. This was ridiculous…all of it.

"You okay?" asked Hara, peering up at me. I stared down at her and shook my head.

"It's nothing."

"…okay," she replied, her eyes narrowing. But she didn't broach the subject.

We made our way out to what Ikkaku had lovingly called the Dojo, which was some big training ground. The badly guy seemed pretty psyched to fight; I didn't blame him.

My thirst for battle was enough to cover my worries for now, and I found myself pushing forwards with a bit of excitement. I knew this battle was going to be worthwhile, Pantera or no Pantera.

"To warn you," said Hara suddenly, "This fight isn't going to be anything like your fight with me and Renji… Ikkaku-nii and especially Zaraki-taich get…well rough."

I stopped and stared at her.

"The hell? Who do you think you're talking to? Tch, _'rough'._" I grinned, "I'll show them the meaning of it."

She chuckled.

"I know, I know. I just feel better giving you the heads up. I know you fight good, so no worries."

"You got that right," I replied as we pushed through a pair of doors.

Inside was the training ground.

"Took you two long enough!" shouted the voice of the huge captain.

I grinned ear to ear.

"Catch!" shouted Ikkaku. I turned my head to see a katana flying my way; I caught it with one hand and unsheathed it. It didn't feel anything like my Pantera, but it wasn't too bad. Hopefully It'd stand up to my reitsu…otherwise I'd be picking metal splinters from my fingers later.

I looked up just as Ikkaku leapt at me, a battle grin on his face. Our blades met in a flurry of sparks.

"Show me what ya got, arrancar," he growled, jumping back.

I didn't answer as I went at him, springing into the air and slashing. I missed him by a fraction of a centimeter, and rolled back to block his attack before I threw myself of battle.

"Oi Grimm, Ikki-nii! Don't forget we can't go full out because we'll destroy the building! Commander-san's orders!"

"Yeah, yeah I know," snapped Ikkaku, annoyed at Hara's nickname. He was distracted, so I threw a punch at him with my free hand. The punch bounced off his ribs, causing him to spit up a bit of blood.

"Pay attention!" I roared, moving into fast paced blows.

*Hara's POV*

"Shall we, captain?" I asked, changing my grip on the katana. He only grinned in reply as he lunged at me.

When our blades met, my teeth rattled from the force. I knew that sword play alone wouldn't be enough, so I lashed out with a kick that would make Yoruichi proud. Zaraki-taicho blocked it and sent me skidding back.

"Not bad Ayumi, but come now, show me your full power!"

I wiped sweat from my forehead and leapt at him, grinning widely.

"Alright then!"

*Renji's POV*

For someone embarrassed as she was this morning, Raeyah was surprisingly energetic. What happened to the stressed out girl she was last night? Not that I preferred that to the bouncing captain she was now; it was cute, I had to admit. And that grin she gave me when she apologized… it was too much.

"Are we there yet?" she muttered, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"It's just a bit further," I replied, lengthening my stride to keep up with her.

We walked along side one of the 11th Squad buildings in silence. I could feel a sort of tension in the air, so I tried to break it with conversation.

"You know, I used to be in this squad before I got promoted…"

"Yeah? That's pretty awesome," she replied. Her voice was suddenly distant. I frowned; I couldn't see her face to read her expression.

"Uh Raeyah-san, is everything alright-?"

She turned to glance at me, her eyes suddenly hard and cold. It was like she had become another person.

"Renji…things are probably going to get difficult from here on out…" her voice was steady, calm.

I nodded.

"I know,"

Suddenly we were standing in front of the main doors to the squad. Raeyah's eyes softened as she stared up at me, before she turned and pushed open the doors. We walked inside.

"Thanks…" she muttered quietly. I stared at her but didn't say anything. _She's very strange…_ I thought, _one minute she's like Hara; playful, carefree… but when she has to be a captain… she acts like one…_ It was interesting. I had never met someone like her before.

"Uh where do you think-?" she began, but stopped.

The sound of yelling, laughing and clashing blades hit our ears.

We looked at each other and nodded, before going to the sound. When we reached the door (which was shaking on its remaining hinge), Raeyah kicked it open and marched inside, leaving me standing there in surprise.

I shook myself and followed, spotting Hara and her arrancar Grimmjow fighting Zaraki-taicho and Ikkaku. They didn't seem to notice us, they were so into their fight.

Raeyah wouldn't have any of it. She leapt right in between Zaraki-taicho and tugged Hara away.

Grimmjow and Ikkaku paused, hearing the other fight stop.

"Alright!" yelled Raeyah loudly, "I need to talk to Hara and Grimmjow, so I'm afraid I'm going to cut this battle short,"

"You already did," accused Hara. "What do you want with us now?"

Raeyah put up her hands.

"No need to be so angry, though I don't blame ya… But at least hear me out, ne?"

"Tch, what is it?" asked Grimmjow, his arms crossed over his chest.

I came to stand by Raeyah who was grinning.

"We're gonna go rescue that friend of yours…Inoe Orihime."


	20. Chapter 20: Only an hour!

**Ungh... I had trouble with this chapter...-___- i tried all the same though....**

silentshadow55: You have a point there. But I needed to make things move so...yeah...but this chapter may satisfy you fight wise ^^ And no need to apologize for the noob reviewing thing, i'm happy getting reviews no matter what! XD

cheeky half-demon: ahaha sorry for the late update. here it is though^^

HeadstrongNozomi: Me write a lemon? Or a lime? ^^; umm... *nervous laugh* I just don't have the talent...(not to mention that'd be way to weird for me to write...) Sorry...v.v; Thanks for reviewing though!

* * *

*Chapter 18*

*Hara's POV*

"What?!" I gasped, staring at her. "Are you serious?"

"Yup," replied Raeyah, "And I'm gonna lead ya guys there."

"Tch, and you think we're just going to follow you around?" snapped Grimmjow, "You're the reason we ended up here in the first place! Why the hell should we trust you?!"

She put up her hands in a surrender position. "Now, now, If I hadn't stepped in, things would have been worse, and you both know it. And I don't care if you don't trust me… I'm the only damned chance you got at saving your friend, so what are you going to do? Surely not just go there yourself-"

Grimmjow and I exchanged a glance; that had been our original plan.

"I should have figured as much," she chuckled, "But really you two, did you think you'd be able to just waltz in there and take her back?"

Another glance passed between us. Of course we knew it was going to be dangerous, and definitely not easy, but we were going to try. And it wasn't like we were jumping into a place we had never been, Grimm knew the layout of Las Noches, and especially Hueco Mundo.

_And just who the hell does she think she is?_ I thought, glaring at her. _I mean, what do we really know about this woman anyway?_

Raeyah smirked as if hearing my thoughts.

"Now, now, don't make me force you into working with me. But this is also an order from your Gen. Commander… so you might want to rethink your decision."

"_Kisama!" _snarled Grimmjow, "You fucking planned this from the beginning, didn't you?!"

He stole the words right out of my mouth; this was too coincidental for me to just follow along. Not to mention the fact that she was leading us. The way she was talking also seemed wrong; any escape out of this was becoming narrower and narrower. But we had no choice; I wanted to rescue Hime-chan, and stay on decent terms with Seritei. Plus, what would happen if we flat out refused? Would we be stuck here like prisoners forever?

"So, if we were to agree…. Would it only be the three of us going?" I asked. Grimmjow stared at me scathingly.

"You're not fucking considering this, are you?" he snapped, "We don't need her damned help!"

"No, it's more than just me tagging along," she replied, ignoring Grimmjow.

"I'm going too," said Renji, stepping forwards. Raeyah glanced at him, a grin stretching across her face.

"Me as well," added a new voice. We turned to see Rukia walking into the room. She and Renji exchanged glances, before her dark blue eyes fell on me.

I frowned and glanced at Ikkaku, who only shrugged. I guess he wasn't going to go. I let out a sigh and turned to Grimmjow, raising my eyebrow suggestively. He stared at me for a moment, his eyes blazing with fury, before he looked away.

"Looks like I have no fucking choice," he grumbled. "Alright, fine. I'm in." He glared at me, "Happy now?"

I tried not to grin as I turned to Raeyah. "Okay then, we're going."

"Great," replied Raeyah, grinning.

"So…when are we leaving?" I asked.

Her grin widened. "Today,"

"_WHAT?!_" Grimmjow and I shouted, staggering backwards. _The…nerve! What the hell is she pulling!?_

"Ahahaha, I know, I know, I only found out about this yesterday. But supposedly there's not much time open for us to go, so they're pushing us out the door now."

"Not much time?" I asked. I knew they couldn't be referring to whether or not Hime-chan was still alive, so what…?

"Something big's gonna go down," said Zaraki-taicho as he stepped forwards. He glanced at me, "So get the hell out there and rescue that girl, got that Ayumi?"

I gave him a quizzical look but nodded. "Yes, Taicho…"

"And you, woman." He growled, pointing at Raeyah, "You owe me a fight, since you went and interrupted mine."

She grinned. "Ah, sorry bout that. All right, I'll fight ya when we get back, deal?"

"Deal," he chuckled.

Raeyah clapped her hands together.

"Okay, now then." She turned to me and Grimm. "I'll meet you guys at the Senkaimon gate in an hour, so get ready to go, alright?"

I nodded. _an hour? That's all?_

"You're going to give us our zanpakuto, right?" growled Grimm.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I'll get them for ya and give you them when me meet up later…" she glanced at Renji. "Well, I have to go and get things prepared. Don't be late."

Before I could answer she turned and flash stepped out the door, Renji chasing after her.

"I'd better go too," said Rukia, before turning and walking out the door.

After they were gone, I sat down on the floor with a groan.

"Wha the hell has she gotten us into now?"

"Tch, you're the one who fucking agreed," snapped Grimmjow, prodding my side with his foot. I leaned back and stared up at him.

"Oh shut up," I growled. "You're just mad cuz she stopped your fight."

"Damare," he snapped, before falling silent. Raeyah had told us to get ready, but really I didn't have anything to gather up. Anything that did belong to me was back at our apartment. I let out a sigh and wrapped my arms around my knees; I suddenly felt like I wouldn't see that apartment for a long time. _But that's okay…_ I thought, glancing over at Grimmjow who was talking with Ikkaku, _as long as I've got Grimm I'm fine…_

"Be careful out there Yume-chan," said a voice in my ear. I nearly jumped out of my skin in shock.

"Michika-nii! Don't do that!" I cried, a hand over my pounding heart.

He let out a chuckled and sat down beside me, his gaze traveling from me to Grimmjow. I followed his gaze; Ikkaku and Grimm were fighting again, nearly identical battle grins on their faces.

"They're having fun," I chuckled, watching as Ikkaku and Grimmjow slammed against each other, before bouncing back. Grimm looked like he was enjoying himself, despite being irritated with me and pissed with Raeyah. I smiled and rested my chin on my arms; watching Grimm made me think of what had drawn me to him when I had first met him, his strength.

And not so much in the power sense, though he was pretty damned powerful. There was just something about him; the way his smoldering blue eyes looked when he stared down his enemies, and the way his eyes and expression would soften when he looked at me, even when he tried to hide it.

"He's the one then, Yu-chan?" asked Yumichika, making me flinch in surprise. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I had forgotten he was there. My face flushed with heat as his words sunk in.

"E-eh?! I…um…" I looked away, nodding. Yumichika chuckled.

"Ah kawaii~! You're blushing Yu-chan!" he laughed, "Anyway, I'm happy for you."

I glanced at him in surprise. He smiled at me.

"He's a bit rough… but then again, I can't see you with some wimpy guy… "

I snorted, a grin appearing on my face. He started to say something more, but a yelp of pain made us both look to see Ikkaku slumped against the wall, Taicho standing over him.

"Out of my way, it's my turn now," said Zaraki-taicho as he turned to face Grimmjow. "Alright arrancar, let's make this a fight to remember!"

"Bring it," snarled Grimmjow, before using sonido to whip around him. The screech of metal tearing against metal filled the air as they pulled apart, Captain swinging wildly. Grimmjow leapt right at him, dodging the attack and leaving a gash on his shoulder.

"Shouldn't he be saving his strength?" asked Yumichika, watching.

"Don't worry. Grimm's fine, he's been pent up to long. He needs to have his fun," I laughed. Yumichika nodded.

"Ah, I should have known… Ikkaku gets the same way, and then goes on rampage."

"That sounds like Ikki-nii," I chuckled, watching as Zaraki-taich reached out with his free hand and grabbed the front of Grimm's shirt. The fabric tore as Grimmjow twisted to the side, kicking at Zaraki-taicho and sending him back a few steps.

The two men laughed at each other.

"Ah, an opponent I can go full out on!" cried Captain, letting out some strong reitsu.

"Che, don't hold back," replied Grimmjow, cracking his neck.

WHAM!

My shoe collided with his head, before clattering to the floor.

"The hell?" he snarled, his eyes flashing from the shoe to me. I grinned and waved at him with my now bare foot.

"Keep it keyed down, ne? I don't want you too tired when we go up against Aizen."

"Tch, you didn't have to throw your damned shoe at me! At least throw one at him as well!" Grimm gestured to Zaraki-taich.

"But he's my captain! I can't throw shoes at him!" I whined. Grimmjow picked up my shoe and threw it at me; I caught it and grinned at him.

"Pay attention!" yelled Zaraki-taich, slamming into Grimm and sending him reeling backwards.

Yumichika and I laughed; I slid my shoe back on and secured it.

"Ah, this has been fun…" he laughed, "But… I have to get serious for a moment, Yume-chan."

"Eh?"

His face became serious.

"Like I said earlier; be careful out there. I know you were just there recently, but I have to warn you all the same-"

"Don't worry," I interrupted, smiling at him. "I can take care of myself, and I have Grimm… I'll be fine."  
Before he could answer, I hugged him and then jumped to my feet. "This seems like a good time for parting, Michika-nii…so…" I tried to find adequate words. "I um, I promise to return soon!"

He laughed, before smiling at me. "Ah, well you'd better. Now you'd best go and say goodbye to Ikkaku before he really does pass out."

I turned to see Ikkaku staggering to his feet, his eyes locked on Grimm and Zaraki-taich. Before he could jump into the fray, I slid over to him.

"What? You want to fight me?" he challenged, grinning deviously, his zanpakuto raised.

"Nope, I've had enough for right now." I replied, "But it's time for Grimmjow and me to go…."

"I see," he replied, dropping his sword. "Well, don't go and get yourself killed-" before he could finish I leapt at him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I hugged him.

"Bye, Ikki-nii," I muttered in his ear, before letting go and standing back.

He grinned and ruffled my hair. "Take care, kid," he replied. I stuck my tongue out at the kid comment, before whipping around at the sound of Grimm's battle cry. He and Zaraki-taich were staring at each other, both sweaty and panting, battle grins still on their faces. It was definitely time for me to jump in and stop the fight; like I had said, I didn't want Grimm exhausted when we hit the sand.

In a flash I was behind him; I reached out and grabbed the back of his shihakusho, dragging him backwards. Of course, he didn't like that.

"The hell are you doing?!" he snarled, breaking free. "I'm in the middle of a fight, what do you want!?"

"It's time to go," I said, tugging at his sleeve. "Come on."

"Damn," he growled, before tossing the sword at Zaraki-taich's feet.

"Tch, a shame," grumbled captain as he dropped his arm. His eyes locked on me. "You'd better come back in one piece, Ayumi…or I'll kick your ass, got it?"

"Hai! I promise I'll return," I grinned. He grinned back, before I turned and began walking towards the door. Grimmjow followed silently behind me; I could smell his sweat and feel his irritance at his fight being cut short. But there were more important things needing to be taken care of, and he knew that as well.

_We will return,_ I thought, letting out a sigh.

I stole one last glance at everyone in the room, suddenly feeling a strong emotion in my chest. Those three were my family, well, part of it. I considered Renji part of it too, despite the gulf between us.

Ikkaku gave me one of his trademark grins, while Yumichika played with his hair, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I suddenly felt like I wasn't going to see them again; a knot formed in my throat.

Suddenly a hand was on my shoulder; I turned to see Grimmjow staring down at me. He squeezed my shoulder gently, before pushing me forwards.

"Thanks…" I whispered to him, before taking a deep breath. _Here we go…_

He and I walked to the Senkaimon gate, ready to meet whatever would come when we made it to Hueco Mundo.

_Hang in there Hime-chan! We're on our way!_


	21. Chapter 21: Return to Hueco Mundo!

**^^; yeah... I'm having a rough patch at home, so updating anything is becoming difficult... v___v**

**but on another note, thanks to everyone who suddenly attacked me with faves and reviews! ^w^**

HeadstrongNozomi: here ya go^^

silentshadow55: thanks so much!

HotaruFire: Book? Well I wouldn't call it that ^^; lol but thanks all the same!

SteelShadowFang: lol yeah I know XD thanks!

* * *

*Chapter 19*

*Raeyah's POV*

"Sorry I'm late!" I gasped, skidding to a stop in front of Grimmjow and Hara. Renji was right on my heels, followed by Rukia.

"Took you long enough," growled Grimmjow. I smirked at him.

"Your brothers aren't coming?" asked Hara, looking around.

"Eh? Brothers?" I replied, "Well Cyan's my little bro, but Raven's just a teammate. But yeah, they're not coming. Someone's gotta hold up the fort while we're gone."

They both had insisted on coming, Cyan to the point of going against my orders, but I stopped him in his tracks. Like I had just said, someone needed to stay behind, and also…I knew this trip was going to be dangerous. I didn't want to put them in any more danger then they already were, especially when I could handle it better myself.

"So…what's with the weird get-up?" asked Grimmjow, eyeing the cloth around my neck. Renji and Rukia wore the same thing.

"Ah, Hueco Mundo's a desert, right? Byakuya gave us these so we didn't have to be buffeted by the sand. I've got two for you guys too," I shook out the bundle in my arms.

"I don't want it," snapped Grimmjow.

"I'll take one," said Hara. Her arrancar counterpart glared daggers; I grinned and passed her one.

"Oi onna," he called out suddenly, his blue eyes locked on me. "Where the hell's my sword?"

"Ah yeah, uh, Renji?" I turned to the red-head. He threw a blue sheathed sword at Grimmjow, before tossing a small katana at Hara. I watched as the girl practically hugged hers, while Grimmjow unsheathed his and made sure it was intact.

"Alright," I said, raising my voice to a more commanding one, "Everything's set now, so shall we go?" Everyone stared at me; there were no objections.

I turned and grinned at the arrancar. "Alright then Grimmjow, can you open up Gargantua?"

He stared at me.

"Well how the hell did you think we were getting there?" I asked, answering his glare. "It would take too long for us to make a gate, especially when the squads are all busy preparing." He didn't seem fazed; Hara gave him a slight nudge of encouragement; he glared at her.

"Oh and open it a good distance from the compound…we don't want them to know we're there just yet. We need to find that Kurosaki first anyway."

"Tch, fine." He growled, turning slightly and making a subtle gesture at the air beside him. There was a tearing sound as the gate opened, showing white sand and black sky.

"Ah thanks," I said, taking a few steps towards it. I turned around to face them all. "Well here we go guys, let's kick some ass!" I turned and jumped through, landing lightly on the sand.

*Grimmjow's POV*

I let Gargantua shut behind me, my eyes boring a hole in the back of the woman's head. Did she fucking think I was going to take orders from her? _No._ And Hara wasn't helping, being all calm and friendly with her.

_We should split from these guys and just nab that human girl ourselves,_ I thought, looking around. _They couldn't stop us, and we'd be a hell of lot faster at it than them. Screw that dumbass Kurosaki, I don't need his help!_

"So Ichigo's already here?" asked Hara.

Raeyah turned around. "Huh? Ya didn't know? He and two friends of his ran off to somewhere around here yesterday. So we need to find him and team up, yeah?"

"I guess," she replied.

Raeyah chuckled. "You guess right. Now… I need to search that Strawberry out…hmm…" She closed her eyes and turned around.

I grabbed Hara's elbow and silently dragged her out of earshot; the redhead and the short girl didn't notice.

"Let's go," I hissed into her ear. Hara glanced up at me in surprise. "We don't need them, and they're already slowing us down, let's ditch them and deal with this ourselves-"

"I don't think so~!" called out a voice, cutting me off. It was that damned woman, Raeyah. She marched over to us. "I had a feeling you'd try pulling something like this… can't we just work together?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but she moved to try and handcuff me like when she dragged us to soul society.

"I don't fucking think so," I snarled, catching her wrist and twisting it. The handcuffs fell into the sand.

"You were going to imprison us again?!" shrieked Hara, her eyes flashing silver.

"Only if you guys rebelled and tried to ditch," gasped Raeyah, her other hand moving to the hilt of her zanpakuto. I let go and jumped back, ready for an attack. Hara drew her blade and stared at Raeyah angrily.

"Stop it!" cried the short shinigami, jumping between us. "This is pointless! We all want to save Orihime, and fighting over it will only waste our energy!"

"Shut up Rukia!" snapped Hara, "Stay out of it!" She pointed her zanpakuto at Raeyah.

"You… I was willing to trust you! Even after the hell we went through because of you! And then you go and try to imprison us again?" She turned to me, her eyes blazing. "You were right Grimm. Let's go our separate ways right here-"

Raeyah leapt for her, only to find her blade caught in my hand. I threw her backwards with ease; being back in Hueco Mundo was giving me a boost in strength. There was no way I was going to lose to some shinigami like her now.

"Tch, looks like I'll have to resort to the old methods here…" growled Raeyah, putting her hand on her blade. She opened her mouth to call out her zanpakuto, but before she could, there was a sudden explosion nearby. We all turned to see a huge cloud of sand and dust, coming from over a hill.

"The hell?!" gasped Raeyah, stumbling backwards as the ground shook. A familiar reitsu rang through the air, making me grimace.

"Tch, Kurosaki?!" I cried; the redhead and other shinigami both looked at each other before running towards the source.

"O-Oi! Get back here dammit!" yelled Raeyah, watching as they disappeared over a sand dune. She turned around and stared at us. "Dammit all… Well you two, are you going to fight with me? Or do you want to work together and save your friend? If you guys run off without my permission, Seireitei won't trust you guys again. You'll be put down as enemies and arrested…so, the choice is yours!"

_Like I fucking care,_ I thought, glancing back at Hara. She dropped her zanpakuto to her side, her expression darkening. Her eyes flashed to me.

"Even if we get out of this, they're not going to leave us alone…" she grumbled, before turning to Raeyah. "We'll stick with you on one condition; you aren't going to try anything stupid like imprisoning us again, got it?"

There she went acting like I had no say again. I gave her a glare before turning to Raeyah.

"And you're not going to order us around either," I growled.

"Alright, deal," she grinned, "But at least act like we're in this together, okay? I'd really rather not have to fight you guys…not when we've got bigger fish to fry."

"Fine," I grumbled, while Hara nodded. Raeyah smirked before turning to stare at the dust cloud.

"Well, shall we go?" she asked, before breaking into a run.

Hara nudged my arm, making me stare at her.

"We'll just have to stick with them for now…" she grumbled.

"I don't like it," I replied, frowning. "That woman can't be trusted!"

Hara leaned against my arm.

"I know… I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, but what could I do? We're kinda stuck…"

"Tch, whatever…" I grumbled. "Let's just get this damned thing over with."

"Alright," replied Hara as she let go of my arm. "I'll race ya over there!" she cried, running full speed over the sand.

"Tch," I replied, chasing after her.

*Hara's POV*

I slid to a stop on top of a tall sand dune, Grimm stopping next to me. Below us stood our team, including Ichigo, Chad, and Ishida; Ichigo lay sprawling in the sand, a red mark on his face as if he had been punched. And it looked like he had, judging by the way Rukia was standing over him.

"Aren't we your nakama Ichigo?!" she cried, "Why didn't you wait for us?!" Renji glanced at him from over his shoulder, frowning.

_Nakama…_ Her sentence brought back memories of when she, Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika had caught me. It was a different situation, but even still hearing that word shouted like that made me shiver in remembrance.

Ichigo smiled slightly, making a slight chuckling sound. It snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm… so it did make you understand after all. But I don't _ever_ wanna have to say that kinda thing again!" she said, turning away. "Now let's go, don't just sit around like that, we've got to save Inoe!"

I grinned slightly, seeing how embarrassed she was. That girl did seem to have a bit of a soft spot for him…

"Well said, Rukia!" cried Raeyah, stepping forward. She peered down at Ichigo who was still sitting in the sand. "How're ya doin' there, Strawberry?"

"Eh? You? What the hell are you doing here?!" shouted Ichigo, pointing. Raeyah laughed and pulled him to his feet.

This seemed like the perfect time to join them; I slid down the dune and walked up to the group.

"Hey Kurosaki, they're not the only ones wanting to help you," I grinned.

Ichigo turned and stared at us.

"You guys too?!" he accused, his jaw dropping slightly.

"I said we were going to help, didn't I?" I asked, "And Hime-chan's my friend too…" _Not to mention the fact that Grimm and I have some unfinished business with Aizen…_

"But why the hell is he here?!" Ichigo cried, staring at Grimmjow. Grimm raised an eyebrow at him.

"Got a problem Kurosaki?" he growled.

"Well I was wondering what the hell an arrancar would be doing, helping us," he replied, eyeing him.

"What was that?!" snarled Grimm, "I can do whatever the hell I want so-!"

"Guys…" I began, sighing.

"Speaking of arrancar, who are these guys?" called out Rukia, pointing to three strange things huddling against a rock. One of them was a little green haired girl, her eyes big and scared. On either side of her stood two arrancar who looked close to being hollows; one with a bug mask, and the other looking like some sort of tiki monster.

"W-who are we?! How rude!" cried the little girl. "Nel Tu!"

"Dondochakka!" cried out the tiki monster.

"Peshe!" the bug faced one.

"And together…" they cried in unison, "We are the Three Great Desert Brothers!"

Everyone stared at them silently, before the three strange arrancar all let out a shriek.

"Y-you guys are all shinigami!" cried Nel, lisping. "T-they're all bad guys!"

"Aw, you're cute," commented Raeyah crouching down beside her, "An' were not bad guys, kiddo. We're just rescuing one of our own-"

"EEP!" cried Nel, her eyes wide with horror as she looked towards me and Grimm. "G-Grimmjow-sama! Oh no now we're really in trouble!!!" she shrieked, her two arrancar buddies panicking behind her.

"Would you shut up?!" shouted Grimm, glaring daggers at the little girl. "Do you want all of Las Noches to hear you?!"

WHAM! I punched him in the arm.

"Be nice! She's just a little kid for god's sake!" I turned and smiled at her. "So your name's Nel? I'm Hara." She gave me a nervous smile, before Raeyah cut in.

"Uh, as nice as introductions are, we don't really have the time, do we?" she turned to Ichigo, "So Strawberry, ready to go and kick some ass?"

"Would everyone stop calling me that?!" he snapped, resting his sword on his shoulder and turning towards Las Noches. "And yeah, let's go rescue Inoe."


	22. Chapter 22: Runaganga's Attack

**Ungh... I almost didn't make a Sunday deadline -___- even thought technically I'm already late ^^;;**

**I've just been busy lately...so yeah. ^^ I'm tired so i don't want to go into detail. But thanks to everyone who faved and reviewed! It makes me very happy~! =^-^=**

HeadstrongNozomi: Lol here XD and thanks!

silentshadow55: Oh, Grimm does recognize her, trust me. He just has a reason for not saying anything. Don't worry, it'll be explained later. *dramtic pose* there is a method to my madness! XD

Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: I know ^^. At least with the manga and show...if they actually had him die (it's not proven if he really is or not), i'd be so sad! TT___TT

**Ahaha, I just remembered... this is a chapter worth celibrating...it's technically number 20, and that's pretty awesome right there XD**

**Secondly, just yesterday, Grimmjow was on TV! Finally! XD And his voice actor didn't do too bad. I expected him to sound a bit deeper voiced that he was, but, hey, it's still good, right? Or maybe that's just me. But no one can replace Junichi Suwabe as the best Grimmjow voice actor. He's just awesome XD**

**okay...done with my fangirl rantings^^  
**

* * *

Chapter 20

*Hara's POV*

"And we're here because?" grumbled Grimmjow, as we sat on the tail end of the hollow worm, Bawabawa.

I smirked and leaned against him as we took a long turn. "Because this is the latest style of travel." I replied.

"Ha ha," he replied, before yawning and looking boredly over the sand.

I had to admit there was a sort of beauty to Hueco Mundo. The rolling sand dunes, black sky, moon, and few barren trees had a sort of relaxing feel to them, probably because I didn't have any bad memories to it… In fact…one of them had been good…

My hand curled around Grimmjow's larger one as I remembered that our first kiss had been out here on the sand. _Wow,_ I thought, _it seems so long ago… but really it wasn't… _I looked up at the sky, _a lot has happened…._

"Geez, it doesn't look like we're getting any closer… Just how big is this place?" asked Ichigo from the front of Bawabawa.

"Big enough," replied Grimmjow. "So just shut it, Kurosaki."

"Don't snap at me!" replied the orange haired punk, "We're supposed to be _comrades_ after all,"

"Yeah right," scoffed Grimm, his eyes moving from Ichigo to Raeyah, who was laying on her back, very near Renji. She didn't respond, but I knew she heard.

Envying her comfortable looking position I laid down as well, my hands behind my head. After a moment I glanced at Grimmjow.

"Ne, Grimm…how long till we get there?"

"Tch, do I look like a clock or something?" he replied, "And anyway on this…_thing_, who knows?"

"Eh? Bawabawa's not a thing!" cried Nel from near my head. I sat up and glanced at her. She had the cutest little determined face, even though she was afraid at the same time.

"Whatever, I don't care." He replied, glaring down at her. I frowned; _why does he seem even more irritable with her than with Yachiru? It's like he almost hates her or something…_

I flipped over onto my stomach, giving her a grin.

"Ne, Nel-chan, do you like sweets?"

"Sweets?" she replied, her eyes big.

"Uhh…." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few small hard candies that I had nabbed from Yachiru. I held them out. "Here, you can have them if you want. They're really good."

She tentatively took them from my hand, before unwrapping one and popping it in her mouth. I watched with satisfaction as her eyes went wide with delight.  
"Kyaa! Nel likes sweets!"

I laughed softly as she turned and ran to her two arrancar guardians. "Look Dondochakka, Peshe…sweets!"

_Yachiru would love to meet her, I bet,_ I thought, grinning to myself. _And poor Ikki-nii would be driven insane by it…_

"Why'd you do that?" asked Grimmjow his eyes on me. I turned to him.

"What? She's a kid! And a kawaii one at that…" I smiled.

"Don't forget she's an arrancar," he muttered quietly.

"Wha-?!" I stared at him in shock, "Grimm, you're an arrancar too… so what are you getting at?"

"Nothing…" he growled, "Just don't let down your guard…"

"Eh?" I still didn't get what his problem was…unless… I grinned and playfully grabbed at his ear, tugging it lightly. "Wait I get it… You just really don't like kids, that's it, isn't it?"

"Wha-?!" he started to say, but suddenly everything went shaky. I glanced sharply to my right to see a large crater appearing in the sand beneath us.

"Shi-" cussed Grimmjow, standing up. A strange menos looking hollow appeared out of the sand, as tall as a house!

"That thing isn't dead yet?!" cried Renji, as Bawabawa tried to pull out of the sand.

""That isn't possible! His body shattered into dust!" shouted Rukia, getting to her feet.

"I will not allow you to take a single step closer into Las Noches!" cried the menos thing, opening his mouth to show sharp teeth.

"Lunaganga-sama's a big pile of sand!" answered Nel. "So it's normal that he has lotsa different bodies!"

"So this is a second body then?" Ishida asked, sounding surprisingly calm. Grimmjow held onto my elbow, keeping me on my feet as Bawabawa continued to thrash.

"Mai sode no shirayuki," called out Rukia, "Tsugi no mai, hakuren!" Suddenly Bawabawa screamed, convulsing wildly. I turned to see that she had stuck her sword into Bawabawa without thinking.

"What the hell's wrong with you Rukia?!" cried Renji

"Sorry, I just..." replied Rukia, about to pull it back out, but before she could, Bawabawa suddenly flung his tail upwards to dislodge the thing causing him pain. Of course this sent me, Grimm and Rukia flying.

"Ahhh kuso!" I screamed, rolling head over heels in the sand. A hand suddenly grabbed onto my collar; I looked up to see Rukia, her zanpakuto the only thing holding us in place. My eyes quickly searched for Grimmjow, finding him flying at the Menos, fist raised in attack.

Suddenly Rukia's zanpakuto lost its grip, and we started sinking into the sand. I coughed as sand filled my mouth, my hands struggling to find something to hold on to. But everything around me was sand, sand that was pouring downwards into who knows where. I looked up at Grimmjow, who hadn't noticed.

"Grimmjow!" I shouted, before white sand covered obscured my vision. I felt his hand brush the tips of my fingers, but he wasn't able to grab hold. A second later, I was on the other side of the moving sand, which was no longer there. Instead, I was freefalling in mid air.

"Ahhh crap, crap!" I screamed, twisting around. I could hear Rukia screaming beside me, freaking out the same as me. But she hadn't been able to turn around, so she couldn't see the ground _way_ at the bottom. If we didn't find something to land on, we'd become shinigami pancakes.

_What am I supposed to do?!_ I thought, my eyes scrunched up from the wind. At this rate, we could die!

I needed to do something, and fast, because we were about half way down now, and speeding up. Suddenly I felt a burning sensation on my shoulder which quickly spread outwards to my fingertips and toes, filling me with that strange electrical reitsu. I suddenly knew what I had to do.

My hand shot out and grabbed hold of Rukia, pulling her to me.

"Hold onto me!" I shouted over the wind, gritting my teeth as the pain intensified. I felt Rukia's hand clinging to my shoulder, so I was able to let go. I swung my hands back and let a kido blast through my fingers, propelling us forwards towards a…gigantic tree?

Suddenly I lost control of the kido, and like when I had tried healing Grimm, my power was ripped out of me. The kido in my hands suddenly blazed to three times its normal size and strength, making us rocket forwards.

I screamed as my vision flickered and the tree loomed feet away from me; we were going to crash into it at full speed, enough so that it was going to _really _hurt.

I closed my eyes for the impact, Rukia's scream ringing in my ears.

*Grimmjow's POV*

"Damn it…" I growled, staring at the spot where Hara had disappeared. I had gone and gotten separated from her…meaning she could be in danger, and I couldn't save her ass. I let out another growl and kicked at a little lizard; I was going to have to find a different way down into the Menos forest.

_Well at least I don't have to deal with the rest of those shinigami, and especially not that woman…_ I thought, turning and walking away, the wind howling in my ears.

I broke into sonido, my eyes flashing over the sand for signs of old landmarks; I had often walked through this area when I had still been an adjucha, and things couldn't have changed that much…after all, this was Hueco Mundo.

_Keep out of trouble, would you Hara?_ I thought;_ at least till I get there._

*Hara's POV*

"Hara-san!" cried a voice, cutting through the numbing sleepiness. I opened an eye to see Rukia standing over me, a concerned look on her face.

Coughing I sat up, chunks of petrified wood falling off of me.

"Ungh…that was a crappy landing…" I moaned, my body bruised and throbbing. "You alright?" I asked, wiping sand off of my cheek.

Rukia nodded, her eyes flashing around the area we were in. I got to my feet, my back cracking in the process.

"Where…are we?" muttered Rukia.

"Dunno," I replied, looking around. Wherever we were, it was dark, creepy, and full of giant tree trunks. I looked up, but couldn't make out any sky.

"Ichigo?!" called out Rukia. I flinched from the sound, but I was curious. Just where were our comrades? _Grimm…where are you?_ I thought, trying to feel for his reitsu. But I couldn't feel it.

"Damn…looks like we're on our own for now…" I muttered, my hand going to my zanpakuto. "But we've got company…"

I stepped back until Rukia and I were back to back, our eyes on the many hollow appearing out of the shadows.

We were surrounded.

"Damn it…" I muttered.


	23. Chapter 23: Menos Forest

**Oh gosh! I'm so sorry about the lack of updates! I'm just so busy lately! ''**

**But, I'm back...and should have more updates soon...**

**That said... I just went psycho for a vid my friend discovered of Grimm XD Interested? On youtube, type in 'bleach soul carnival intro'. It's for one of the Japanese PSP games...but it's all animated footage we've never seen, hence my pychoness.**

cheeky half-demon: Yeah I know right? Lol I always wonder what it'd be like if Nel and Yachiru met...and what havoc might follow lol

SteelShadowFang: Lol I'm known for my cliffie habit...but, bleach does the same thing. So maybe I'm just trying to follow suit? XD just kidding, it's just habit of mine lol

HeadstrongNozomi: XD nice. I had a handful of friends over, and they all shook their heads at my fangirl squeal of delight everytime he showed up. Thanks ^^

Hotaru Izayoi: Aw, thanks so much! I really appriciate hearing that! ^^

Ivoryclaw: Maybe, maybe not. It's stil a mystery, but I promise it will be solved soon!

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!**

**-Okami  
**

* * *

*Chapter 21*

*Hara's POV*

"They just keep coming!' I shouted over my shoulder, swinging my zanpakuto and slicing at the forearm of a hollow who attempted to take my head off.

"I know!" shouted Rukia, her back against mine. I could feel the cold coming from her zanpakuto as it repeatedly froze hollow.

Things were getting out of hand; there were so many hollow that I was beginning to wonder how and if we'd get out of it alive.

_Grimm, where the heck are you?_

"Ginkiba Hikari!" I shouted, slashing my zanpakuto at the line of hollow. A blast of light swallowed a few of them, while others just staggered, half dead. But for every two or three Rukia and I defeated, their numbers doubled. Things were really going badly.

"Oi," I growled in her ear as I leaned back to avoid a swipe from a huge cat like hollow, "Looks like we should try running for it…"

Rukia glanced at me and nodded.

"Okay then, let's do a fancy smokescreen to get away…NOW!" I screamed, letting loose another _ginkiba hikari_. Rukia used one of her many kido, before the two of us went rocketing off towards the left, our swords slashing out and cutting through hollow flesh.

The hollow chased, a few climbing over each other as they tried to get to us. It was a bit terrifying; I had to admit, having practically an entire _army_ of hollow tearing after us, intent on eating us. I mean, shinigami were pretty much a delicacy to them, seeing as they could absorb our reitsu to get stronger.

I pulled a sharp left to avoid another hollow, my feet scraping in the sand, before ducking as a second hollow went soaring over my head.

"Hey, Ru-" I began, on my feet and running again, but when I turned she was…gone?! I looked from side to side, my eyes widening. _Where is she?!_

"Hara-san!" I heard Rukia cry; she sounded very far away. I tried to follow the sound, my left hand blocking a hollow. All I could see was hollow, humongous tree trunks and shadow. But no Rukia.

Suddenly a powerful blast of reitsu came from my right, and after a moment, I was able to recognize it as a Menos. And with it was Rukia's.

"Shi-!" I jumped into shunpo, gritting my teeth as I had to side roll away from another hollow. I ran as fast as I could, leaping over hollow and kicking off of trees. I felt a few hollow claws slash at my legs, but the cuts weren't deep enough to stop me. I needed to find Rukia fast, because I could tell there were _way_ too many hollow for her to deal with alone.

I was still running full out when I found her lying on a cliff, a ton of Menos standing over her, ceros ready.

"What the hell are you lying there for?!" I screamed, still running. I whipped my zanpakuto upwards, totally ready to try and save us, only…

I was running full speed…down a hill…which led to a cliff.

"AGH!" I cried, trying to skid to a stop. Like all critical moments, things slowed down. I saw Rukia's face as she lay there. I saw the cliff nearing; the Menos blasting their ceros. Then, everything sped up and off the cliff I went, the ceros singing the top of hair as I went.

"Hara!" screamed Rukia. I didn't respond; I was already screaming with surprise. And there wasn't anything for me to grab onto. Just empty air.

I twisted, trying to fall belly down, but I didn't have much luck at it. I gritted my teeth.

_What happened to the super power of mine?_ I wondered; last time I had ended up falling a long distance, that odd _thing_ had kicked in…but this time…

"Crap," I growled. I was on my own this time.

I was going to have to work fast.

"Bankai!" I cried, holding out my arms. I hadn't wanted to use it; my reitsu would lure too many…_problems_. And ever since that healing incident, I was a little afraid to use it. But I had no choice; well really you always had a choice, but it was either become a pancake, or risk being detected. And I didn't want to be a pancake.

My reitsu flared out around me, illuminating everything. It was definitely some sort of cliff that I fell off, and it was pretty close.

Letting out a slight roar, I thrust both swords into the cliff side to slow me down. If anything below hadn't sensed me before, it sure as hell knew I was there now, what with the blaze of sparks and my glowing reitsu.

I looked down to see the bottom of the cliff only about ten or twenty feet below; it was made of sand, like everything else. That meant a moderately soft landing.

_But where the hell am I?_ I thought, as my feet met the sand. I spun Lucien in my hands, before turning around.

"O-oh…" I muttered, my eyes widening. Humungous feet filled most of the area, white and pointy at the ends…Menos feet. I looked up slowly, the ribbons on the ends of my swords brushing against my arms.

All the menos, towering over me, were looking downwards, their eyes locked on me. I let out a quiet little laugh, before swallowing. My little slid down the hill had drawn their attention.

"Ah…Kuso!" I cried, breaking into a run. I held out my blades as I ran, slicing at their feet.

The hollows roars filled my ears as I used shunpo to glide over the sand, my eyes locking on a tree trunk up ahead. I needed to get _up._ Rukia could very well still be lying there, needing my help, _and_ I didn't want to end up getting even more lost than we already were.

I leapt up the tree, using my speed to push me as high as I could, before resorting to using my blades to pull me higher. But I didn't keep my eyes on my work, not when all the menos were still looking at me. I watched with mild fascination as their mouths opened and ceros began to form.

_Yeah… I'd better get moving!_ I thought, moving faster up the trunk of the tree. It would have been easier if the branches weren't so high up; at the moment, I only had smooth pale bark to hold onto, and that wasn't cutting it.

I glanced at the hollow again; the cero was fully formed and about to be loosed. There was no way I'd be able to dodge…meaning…_I'm going to have to cut through it!_

Again, I hadn't wanted to use up too much of my reitsu; I wasn't sure what would happen, and I wasn't willing to try it out. But again the situation left me no sane choice.

I put on my insane battle grin and prepared to spring at the Menos, my blades crossed over each other. Uttering a battle cry I rocketed off, right as the cero came blasting at me.

The heat from the blast was intense, and if not for the properties of my zanpakuto, it would have probably singed the hell out of me. But instead, I was able to block off most of it, my bankai slicing the whole thing in half. Behind me I heard the cero slam into the tree; the sound of splintering wood filled my ears and smoke clouded my vision as it was disintegrated. I was lucky, I could have been the one to disintegrate.

"Ore!" I snarled, as I bounced against the front of one of the menos. I dug one of my swords into it, before swinging upwards and striking at it with my other hand. It let out a roar of pain and staggered backwards, bringing me towards the cliff. It was still a bit above me, but climbing on a Menos would make it easier than the tree.

"Going up," I chuckled, grabbing onto the dress like cloth on the Menos and using it to climb upwards. It seemed like a good idea, up until the other Menos decided that taking out one of their own to get at me was worth it. I let out a cry of frustration and continued to climb, dropping my bankai and reverting back to sealed form to speed myself up.

"AHHHH!" I screamed, leaping off the Menos's shoulder as the ceros came blasting at me. They hit their mark, sending the Menos to the ground, it's upper body missing.

I rolled head over heels as I hit the cliff, my shoulder banging heavily against the ground. But I had made it!

"Ahahaha!" I laughed, getting to my feet and dusting off my hakama, "Take that, you stupid Men-OH?!" I threw myself sideways as a cero incinerated the ground feet away. I spun around in surprise; I had almost forgotten about them in my moment of triumph.

There were still a ton of them; too many to deal with, really. Not when I had other things to-_ aw crud, I forgot about Rukia!_ I looked around frantically, but there was no sign of the short soul reaper. But it didn't look like she had been turned to burnt toast either. So what happened to her?

I didn't have much time to wonder; the Menos were firing another set of cero, all directed at me. I turned and made for the forest, glancing back over my shoulder every now and again to make sure if a cero came my way, I could dodge it.

And then something strange happened.

The Menos suddenly shut their mouths, extinguishing the ceros and looking around nervously. As I watched, they then turned and started walking away, leaving me staring after them.

Though it was nice not having them shooting at me anymore, it was _really_ weird.

"Maybe…something scared them off?" I wondered, before a chill went down my spine. Slowly I spun around, my eyes sweeping the forest and cliff around me.

All the other hollow, the ones that had been chasing Rukia and me…were gone. There were no glowing eyes staring out at me; no reitsu tickling my skin. The area was empty…except for me.

I suddenly felt very, very creeped out.

"Rukia…?" I muttered, feeling for her reitsu. It was on the edge of my senses, but I couldn't be sure just where it was. "Grimm…" I whispered, trying for him; he was also faint, but I could feel his reitsu spiking slightly every second or so. _Probably killing some hollows or something…_ I thought.

I tried sensing out Ichigo and the others as well, but they were even further out than Rukia, because I could barely make out even Ichi's constantly flowing reitsu.

"That means I'm on my own at the moment…"

I had to decide what I wanted to do…and quickly. I was getting _really_ creeped out; it almost felt like I was being watched by something…other than a hollow.

My arms crossed over my chest as I looked around, my eyes searching for the source of creepiness. But there wasn't anything there; not even a little animal hollow.

Suddenly a cold breeze whipped around me, making the sand at my feet hiss as it rubbed against itself.

"_Haaaaarrrrraaaa…."_

It sounded like someone was whispering my name…like the wind was whispering my name.

My hand tightened around my blades, my hands feeling clammy.

"_Haarrraaaa…."_

It was closer now; it almost felt like lips against my ears. I spun around again, certain that _something_ had to be there. But the edge of the forest was as empty as ever.

_I…don't sense anything so…what-_

The sound of rock crunching under foot.

I flinched at the sound and turned towards the cliff, my heart pounding in my ears. Something weird just _had_ to happen to me while I was alone, didn't it?

And it had to take the shape of a figure in shadow…with red glowing eyes.

"Hello…Hara-chan," it chuckled, stepping forward.

*Grimmjow's POV*

"Die, damn it!" I shouted, killing another gillian that had gotten in my way. It was getting so damned annoying trying to get into the damned forest! And it wasn't that the gillian were hard to deal with; hell, it was like attacking a human; it was just that there were so damned many!

I jumped backwards and fired a cero to clear myself a path, the gillian screaming in pain as they disintegrated. I didn't give them a second glance; _weaklings._ And I had bigger fish to fry; Hara was still out there, and based off what I could sense out, she was by herself. And that would be trouble. She was trouble.

"Err get the hell out of my way, damn it!" I shouted, tearing away at a few other gillian who dared face me. I guess they had forgotten who was '_king'_ around here; when I had still be an adjucha, I had kept those bastards in line.

_Tch…_ I was getting pissed; I wanted to find Hara, and yell at her for not being more careful… I mean, if she ended up getting herself hurt, I'd-

My hand shot up and caught the cero encased fist of an adjucha; with a slight smirk I blasted one of my own, taking off its arm in the process. He, as I learned, let out one hell of a yell, before coming at me again. I lifted my leg and kicked him straight in the armor plated stomach, sending him crashing into a tree trunk.

"Y-you!" he roared at me, "Traitor Grimmjow! How dare you show your face in Aizen-sama's territory!"

I walked towards him, my hands shoved into the pockets of my hakama pants. With a quick swipe of my hand, I had him by the neck, and was slowly squeezing.

"Since when is it Aizen-teme's territory? Dumbass…" I shot a cero at his face, killing him instantly. I threw his body down and turned away, towards Hara's faint reitsu. "I'll show that bastard who can take my territory…"

*Hara's POV*

"Y-you…" I muttered, backing up against a tree, my eyes wide with horror. _No…I didn't want…not him…not now-_

"What? Aren't you happy to see your big brother?" rang out Zuro, as he came towards me, his eyes cold and sadistic. His voice was laced with a mixture of malice and teasing humor.

I swallowed a few times, before silently breaking into shikai, my hands lifting into a defensive position.

"S-stay away from me," I growled, my heart pounding so loudly that he probably heard it. I had not wanted to run into _him_ so soon…

"Aw…do you hate me so much, lil sis?" he laughed, raising up his arms as if in an exaggerated shrug. I didn't answer; I didn't have anything to say to him…and if I did, he'd hear the fear in my voice.

And I was afraid; not only was he my changed and once loved brother, but he was also terrifyingly strong…so much so that Grimm and I could barely put a scratch on him. And with my current condition… I might not win…and especially on my own. And he knew that; I could see it in his eyes.

Zuro looked around the area, before looking back at me with an amused and puzzled look.

"Where's that cat of yours? Not going to save poor helpless Hara-chan?" His expression melded into a malicious one, his eyes smoldering as they stared at me.

"What do you want?" I whispered, feeling even more vulnerable now that he had pointed out Grimm's absence.

"Ah, nothing really…" he purred, walking even closer. "Can't I just see my little sister's face again?" In a flash he was in front of me, leaning over me, his arm resting against the trunk of the tree.

"D-don't call me that," I snapped, my body tensing. "You're not my brother anymore." I slid out from under him, my eyes never leaving his face.

Zuro just stared at me, his eyes cold. He smiled slowly, making my heart flutter with sudden fear. I felt like I was suffocating under that smoldering cruelty behind the smile…it was too similar to Aizen's smile…it brought up the strong contempt I had for that man.

I swallowed and prepared to fight him, my resolve and blade ready.

He chuckled, before putting up his hands in a harmless gesture. But nothing about him rang harmless…weapon or not, he could probably kill me.

"Now, now… I don't want to fight you…yet." His face seemed to drain of all emotion for a moment, before retaining the coldness. He walked towards me, one hand in folds of his hakama.

"I came to warn you about something…" he said softly, stopping ten feet away.

"Oh?" I growled back, "And why should I believe you?"

Suddenly he disappeared from my field of vision; my eyes went wide as I felt a blade against my throat.

"Because I could have easily killed you back then…and right now too." He whispered, his arm locked around my middle as he held me in place. I struggled against him, even though fighting made the blade dig into my skin.

Zuro's grip tightened.

"Stop," he hissed. "Just listen to me for a moment."

I twisted slightly. "Why should I?! Let go of me!"

He chuckled and roughly threw me forwards; I stumbled but was able to stay on my feet. I spun around to face him, ready to slice at him if he tried getting close, but he was gone.

I looked around me in case he had done whatever he had done a minute ago, but he didn't reappear. The edge of the forest was quiet again, as if nothing had happened. The only proof of his being there was the itchy cut on my neck.

Or so I had thought.

Suddenly his voice rang out, as if he was standing next to me.

"_Don't let it consume you._"

I looked all around, but couldn't see him. Had he learned how to throw his voice or something? I didn't know. But it was odd. And…_what the hell does that mean?_ _Don't let what consume me?_ I pulled my hair out of my eyes, my heart still beating loudly.

I had been lucky…for now. I knew that if I had really tried fighting him one on one, I'd probably lose… But even so, the incident left me shaken. I really need to find Grimm-

I cut the thought short as the tip of a blade poked at my back, before lifting up and resting on my shoulder.

"Just what the hell are you doing, standing here like that?" growled out a familiar voice. "If you don't watch your back, you're gonna get killed."

There was no way to contain my relief at his voice; I spun around and threw myself against his chest, my arms wrapping around his middle tightly.

"Grimmjow! Thank god, I've been trying to find you and…and…" my voice was strained with emotion; I found it hard to find the right words.

He chuckled, before putting his hand on the top of my head and ruffling my hair.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, before pushing me back. He looked around the area, his hand now on my shoulder. Suddenly he pulled his hand away, fingers red tinged.

His eyes moved to my neck, his expression darkening. "What the hell's that? Don't tell me you couldn't fight off a few hollow on your own!"

Self-consciously I put my hand on the cut.

"No, that's not what happened!" I cried, wiping away what little blood remained on my neck. "I was fine…well, sorta. I mean, it wasn't a hollow that did this…"

"Then what was it?" he rumbled, standing in front of me.

I bit my lip, my eyes lowering, before I looked up at him.

"My bro-" I cleared my throat, "Zuro was here…"

"That guy?!" cried Grimm, looking around, his hand going to his blade. "That bastard touched you? I'll ki-"

"He's gone." I muttered, cutting him off. "He didn't attack me… he just tried to tell me something… I don't really know what it was though…"

I didn't tell him what Zuro had whispered; I didn't understand it, and I didn't want Grimmjow to worry…so I kept it to myself.

I sighed and relaxed my body, before looking up at him.

"Are you hurt at all?" I asked; he didn't look like it, but I had to be sure.

"Tch, hell no; there's only weaklings here. I'm not going to get beaten up by some adjucha!" he declared, flashing that grin of his. I grinned back, before sheathing Lucien.

"So…do you know where the others are?" I asked. "And Rukia…she and I got separated…we should probably find her first." I reached out and tugged at his wrist, making him look down at me. "Well? You know your way around here…right?"

He scowled slightly.

"Yeah, I do. But…it would be so easy just to ditch them! That woman can't catch us when we're all separated like this, can she?"

"Grimm…" I growled, "You know I agree, but they're my friends… _And_," I reminded, "We can't take out all the Espada singlehandedly…let alone Aizen. So let's just grin and bear it, okay?"

"Tch, fine," he growled, looking away. It almost seemed like he was pouting.

"Also…" I added, walking up to him and lifting my hand to his chin, making him look at me. "Don't you want to show Kurosaki how much more badass you are than him?"

He grabbed my hand and squeezed it in his, a grin spreading across his face.

"You've gotta point."


	24. Chapter 24: Running

**Um...hi guys.**

**I really don't know where to begin on why I haven't updated, except that my life got kinda crazy, and I lost steam for this story. But, I never forgot about it or you my faithful readers!**

**...Erm...wow, it's been like a year since I updated on this story. I went and looked at it and was like "Oh god."**

**But, I do plan on completing it! _Eventually._**

**I won't be angry if half of my old readers don't even review...it's been a long, long time. .**

**So, that's about it.**

**I'm not going to do the review thing for this chapter, but I will after this one. But there is one thing I have to say on here that is of dire importance.**

**Now, most people know it's wrong when you steal someone else's work. It's wrong on so many levels, right?**

**Well, I just found out that a person (a reviewer in fact) took this story and posted it as her own work. And I know who it was and I will name them, because this can't go unexcused.**

**_HotaruIzayoi_**, **please remove my work from your quizilla page.**

**I guess you didn't know that I had a quizilla myself (which is where my story originally started (check the dates if you want)), but what you did is wrong on many levels. And I know it's you, because your name is spelled and is exactly the same as it is on quizilla. So, please remove it at once.**

**For everyone else, pretty much ignore this part of the A/N...But I needed to make it clear that stealing other peoples work is WRONG.**

* * *

*Chapter 22*

_It doesn't matter who they are; I'll fucking break them.-Grimmjow, Volume 24_

*Grimmjow's POV*

"Where the hell are they?" I snapped, kicking at a rock down into one of the many gullies lining the cliff top.

"I dunno," replied, Hara frowning as she stood next to me, her arms over her chest. Was she actually cold? I couldn't feel it; cold didn't bother me too much, but then again I was used to Hueco Mundo's temperature. As if reading my thoughts, she moved closer to me, her shoulder brushing my ribs.

"Che," I scoffed, "I'll use my _pesquias_ then."

I hadn't used that particular power in a while, but it wasn't too difficult to crack into using it. But as for tracking down Kurosaki and the others…that proved to be a little more difficult, or so I had thought. Kurosaki at least was easy to track down…his reitsu leaked like a broken faucet. _Tch._

"Kurosaki's pretty far away…" I muttered. His reitsu was fluctuating ever now and again. _Who the hell are ya fightin? _I wondered silently.

"Well, who's the closest?" she asked, frowning.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. A cold, white (the only way I could describe it) reitsu was a good distance away, but not too far out of our reach. And it was closer than Kurosaki's.

"That Rukia girl's, I think." I muttered, "Off…" I pointed, "That'a way."

"Alright," replied Hara, patting my arm. "Shall we go then?"

"I guess," I muttered, before shoving my hands in my pockets. I was still irked that she didn't want to ditch the shinigami, we would be better off without them, and I didn't want to deal with that woman Raeyah again. But…

I looked at Hara as she walked alongside me. As much as I wanted to just up and leave the shinigami, forsaking what she wanted, I couldn't bring myself to. And though she had brought up the fact that I could make Kurosaki look like a helpless idiot, it didn't really sate what I wanted to do. But…

The thought made me a bit angry. Since when had I gotten so soft? Tch.

I put my hand over my eyes, rubbing at my forehead as if to get rid of the thoughts. But it didn't help.

"You alright?" asked Hara, her hand on my arm and her expression concerned.

"Uh yeah," I replied, staring down at her from over my hand. I dropped it to my side.

All the thoughts that had just been running through my mind ground to a buzzing halt. And it had happened as soon as I had looked at her.

_Damn, am I that hopeless?_ I thought with bitter amusement as I focused on walking.

"Hrm, it's going to take us forever to get over there…" commented Hara after a few minutes.

"I know…" I growled. "Are you suggesting we run then?"

It seemed like a good idea, running might clear my head and remove the irritating thoughts I was having.

"Why not? I bet I could out run you~" she teased.

"Tch, like hell you can." I replied, before pushing her and taking off.

"H-hey!" she snarled, before tearing after me.

And so we ran.

***

*Raeyah's POV*

"Any idea of when this is going to stop!?" I screamed to Ichigo, dodging a hollow as it dived for my head. He glanced at me but didn't answer as he slashed at the foot of a menos.

"T-there's too many of them!" shrieked Ishida, his eyebrows contracted as he continued to shoot out arrow after arrow.

Hollow blood continued to rain down on us as we attempted to take out the menos and lesser hollow. But we were slowly losing ground.

The whole thing happened a little bit after we had realized that three of us had been missing. Hara, Grimmjow, and Rukia. Both Renji and Ichigo panicked over Rukia, but I was panicking—if you could call it that, over losing my two charges. So we decided to try to look for them.

And then those arrancar got themselves stolen away.

I was a bit worried for the little girl, Nel. She was cute, and more like a child than an arrancar. They would make a meal of her easy, if she didn't get rescued. And those two guys with her didn't seem capable of doing much, so…we had to add them to the list of MIA.

And then…the hollows attacked.

How the hell they all came swarming at us like an army, I couldn't be sure, but like I had said, we were quickly losing ground. Ichigo, Ishida and Renji were doing the most damage, but Chad and I seemed to be lacking. And to think I was captain class!

I let out a roar and slashed down a few hollow. Maybe I wasn't being serious enough about fighting?

Well…it also could have been the fact I wasn't in my proper shikai just yet... Which was because we were mostly at this point trying to haul ass and find our lost buddies.

I skidded to a stop next to Renji, turning so we were back to back. He was panting and blood was dripping from a cut on his cheek, but otherwise he looked fine.

"O-oi," I gasped, holding out my sword. "I'm gonna use my shikai, but you gotta cover me. I don't have great control over it, and It saps my energy pretty damned fast, so…"

"Got it," he replied, coughing a little bit. I held out my sword and let my reitsu loose.

"_Totsugeki…Tatsumaki Taiko! (Charge, Spinning Dragon!)"_

***

*Hara's POV*

"Can…we rest a bit?" I gasped, wiping sweat from my eyes and panting like crazy. I felt a bit embarrassed, having lost Grimmjow in a simple race. But then again, he was almost _ridiculously _fast. Even with my shunpo, I was lacking. But…he didn't argue about resting.

We sat down side by side and rested our backs against the trunk of one of the trees, both of us breathing almost in perfect sync.

I could now feel Rukia's reitsu as well. It was faint, but it was there. And there was another reitsu as well, but I didn't recognize it. Grimm said it wasn't an arrancar or hollow, but something like a shinigami, which made me both curious and cautious…because, who could it be?

He said he didn't know, and I sure as heck didn't.

We sat there quietly for a few more minutes, neither of us saying a word.

Suddenly I felt him tugging at the collar of my shirt.

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring at him and where he was tugging. Then I realized he was trying to expose my shoulder.

His face took on a darker expression when he saw the strange rings.

"They're getting darker." He commented.

I looked away.

"I'm fine though…"

He didn't answer, but I could feel he wasn't happy. Really I wasn't either but…it wasn't like I had control on what was going on.

"We should probably get going." I said finally, when I couldn't handle the awkward silence any longer.

"Yeah," he muttered. I was glad he didn't keep on the subject, and forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

And that was, to meet up with Rukia, get back to our main group, and go grab Orihime-can.

We started running almost at once.


End file.
